Morocco Takes Small Steps Toward 'Normalization' with Israel

The national flags of Israel and Morocco are projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, December 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
The national flags of Israel and Morocco are projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, December 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
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Morocco Takes Small Steps Toward 'Normalization' with Israel

The national flags of Israel and Morocco are projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, December 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
The national flags of Israel and Morocco are projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, December 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Morocco is taking slow steps toward normalizing ties with Israel until US President-elect Joe Biden determines his stances over a number of issues, according to diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv, especially regarding the sovereignty of Morocco over the Western Sahara.

Rabat has no intention of declaring full diplomatic ties and will limit new moves to opening liaison offices.

A delegation from Morocco will visit Israel next month to agree on reopening the offices, establishing embassies and launching direct flights between the two countries.

Last week, a Moroccan delegation visited its liaison office in Tel Aviv, which was closed in 2000.

Sources from Tel Aviv said that Biden’s team isn’t in a rush to declare a stance over the Moroccan demands, which is bothering Rabat.

In December, the US, Israel, and Morocco signed a tripartite declaration regarding normalizing ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv.

Notably, Morocco has become the fourth state to establish diplomatic ties with Israel following, UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan.



Israel Issues Evacuation Warning for Five Southern Lebanese Towns

A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
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Israel Issues Evacuation Warning for Five Southern Lebanese Towns

A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
A civil defense member walks among the debris at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighborhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

The Israeli army issued a statement on Sunday requesting the residents of five towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate in anticipation of airstrikes, while warning residents not to head south.
The military told the residents of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, Zawtar al-Gharbiya, Arnoun, Yuhmor, and al-Qusayba, to evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Awwali River.
“You must evacuate immediately to the north of Awwali River to ensure your safety, you must evacuate without delay. Anyone near Hezbollah fighters, facilities or weapons is putting their life at risk”, added the statement.
In a separate statement, the army said that sirens sounded in central Israel due to Hezbollah rockets fired from Lebanon.
It added that six projectiles were detected crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, and that its air forces intercepted five of the rockets, while the last one landed in an open area.