Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is to visit Morocco next week, the two countries said Friday, in the first trip to the kingdom by Israel’s top diplomat since they normalized ties.
A source at Morocco’s foreign ministry told AFP that Lapid would visit on August 11-12 and meet with his counterpart, without providing further details.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is to visit Morocco next week, the two countries said Friday, in the first trip to the kingdom by Israel's top diplomat since they normalised tieshttps://t.co/BfnsxoLvoE
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) August 6, 2021
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman confirmed the dates.
Morocco was one of four Arab states to agree last year to normalize ties with Israel, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.
The move came as the administration of former US President Donald Trump recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed and divided former Spanish colony.
#Israeli Foreign Minister Lapid, to visit #Morocco next week
— Morocco Telegraph (@MoroccoTelegram) August 7, 2021
The normalization deals between Arab states and Israel have been branded a “betrayal” by the Palestinians, who believe the process should only follow a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The Palestinian cause has mobilized elements of Moroccan civil society, and Islamists and some extreme left political parties oppose the normalization.
(The New Arab, PC, Social Media)
