Israeli, Moroccan Officials Discuss Tourism Ahead of Lapid's Visit

The CN-ROP Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 (Reuters)
The CN-ROP Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 (Reuters)
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Israeli, Moroccan Officials Discuss Tourism Ahead of Lapid's Visit

The CN-ROP Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 (Reuters)
The CN-ROP Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 (Reuters)

Israeli Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov spoke on the phone with his Moroccan counterpart Nadia Fettah Alaoui on Friday, ahead of an upcoming visit by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Morocco this week.

"We discussed various opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, following the renewal of ties led by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid," Razvozov tweeted.

"We also agreed that we would continue to strengthen relations between the two countries."

Lapid plans to visit Morocco next month after a 20-year rupture in relations between the two countries, which would be the first visit to Rabat by an Israeli foreign minister.

In late June, Lapid had made a similar "historic" visit to the UAE to open the Israeli embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Lapid's visit to Morocco would take place on August 11 and 12, during which the Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat will be officially inaugurated.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita would also visit Israel at the invitation of Lapid to open his country's mission in Tel Aviv.

The Foreign Ministry Director-General, Alon Ushpiz, visited Morocco, delivering Bourita the written invitation from Lapid.

The Israeli Foreign Minister stressed in his letter that restoring relations between the two states was a historical milestone. He also expressed his desire to progress bilateral cooperation between Israel and Morocco in trade, technology, culture, and tourism.

The visit comes after steps to strengthen relations between Tel Aviv and Rabat, which included a direct commercial flight between Israel and Morocco, which carried one hundred Israeli tourists.

The two countries will link direct flights to attract 50,000 Israeli tourists to Morocco by the end of the year.

Morocco is home to the largest Jewish community in North Africa, with a population of 3,000. About 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin live in Israel.

Morocco aspires to attract 200,000 Israelis by 2022.

In July, a Moroccan air force plane landed in Israel's Hatzor Air Base, reportedly to take part in a multinational Israeli Air Force exercise later this month.

Israel and Rabat only exchanged diplomatic offices instead of embassies, and they maintained close official relations, but Morocco suspended relations after the second Palestinian intifada in 2000.

An Israeli diplomatic source said that relations with the North African country "will turn into full diplomatic relations."



Israeli Strikes Kill 47 People in Eastern Lebanon

Rescuers evacuate bodies of victims from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on November 14, 2024. (Photo by Nidal SOLH / AFP)
Rescuers evacuate bodies of victims from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on November 14, 2024. (Photo by Nidal SOLH / AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Kill 47 People in Eastern Lebanon

Rescuers evacuate bodies of victims from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on November 14, 2024. (Photo by Nidal SOLH / AFP)
Rescuers evacuate bodies of victims from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek on November 14, 2024. (Photo by Nidal SOLH / AFP)

Israeli strikes killed at least 47 people in eastern Lebanon on Thursday, a Lebanese official said.

Bachir Khodr, governor of Lebanon's Baalbek-Hermel province, said at least 47 were killed and 22 wounded in Israeli strikes in the Baalbek region.

Posting on X, he said rescue operations were underway.

Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,583 people and wounded 15,244 in Lebanon since October 2023, with 25 fatalities reported on Wednesday, the Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday.