Israel Appoints Dorit Avidani as Consul in Morocco

This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. (AFP)
This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. (AFP)
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Israel Appoints Dorit Avidani as Consul in Morocco

This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. (AFP)
This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. (AFP)

Israel's Foreign Ministry has announced the appointment of Dorit Avidani as the country's consul in Morocco.

Deputy Chief of Israel’s Mission in the Kingdom Eyal David congratulated Avidani for assuming her new post as Consul and Head of Administration at the Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco.

In a tweet on Saturday, David hailed Avidani’s 30 years of experience in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. There were no immediate comments from Moroccan authorities in this regard.

On Dec. 10, 2020, Rabat and Tel Aviv announced resuming diplomatic ties after they were suspended in 2000.

Morocco was one of four Arab countries - along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan - to normalize ties with Israel last year under US-brokered Abraham Accords.

Liaison offices between Israel and Morocco were established in 1994 after the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements known as the Oslo Accords, but they closed after the outbreak of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2000.

The offices were reopened in January 2021 after Morocco joined the US-engineered accords and the two countries agreed to form diplomatic missions.

Israel later appointed Ambassador Govrin as Head of its liaison office in Rabat.



8 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Gas Exposure During Cave Search in Northern Iraq

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
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8 Turkish Soldiers Killed by Gas Exposure During Cave Search in Northern Iraq

A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo

Eight Turkish soldiers died after being exposed to methane gas during a search operation in a cave in northern Iraq, the defense ministry said on Monday.

In a statement, the ministry said the incident took place on Sunday during a mission to locate the remains of a Turkish soldier killed during a military operation against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Eleven other soldiers who are also exposed to the gas in the cave have been taken to the hospital for treatment, the ministry said.

The cave was at an altitude of 852 meters (2,795 foot) and was known to have been used as a hospital by the PKK in the past, although it had since been cleared by Turkish soldiers.

Türkiye and the PKK have waged a 40-year conflict which has often spilled over into Iraq and Syria. Türkiye has set up a series of bases in northern Iraq, where the PKK has been established for decades.