Morocco and Israel celebrate this week the first anniversary of the resumption of their diplomatic relations in the framework of the Abraham Accords.

Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita is to visit Israel ‘’as soon as possible’’ as he accepted an invitation from his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, in another sign of growing ties between the two countries since the resumption of the diplomatic relations one year ago in the framework of the US-sponsored Abraham Accords.

Last Wednesday, Morocco, Israel and the United States celebrated the first anniversary of the resumption of the relations as “a positive step” toward peace in the region.

In a brief video conference, Covid-19 pandemic obliges, the three countries’ Foreign Ministers – Nasser Bourita, Yair Lapid and Anthony Blinken – welcomed a partnership that aims to achieve a “lasting peace” in the Middle East.

This resumption of ties between the Moroccan kingdom and Israel is part of the “Abrahamic Accords” reached under the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

The two countries had established diplomatic relations in the early 1990s before Morocco ended them at the start of the second intifada.

A year later, the all-out normalization between Morocco – where a large Jewish community has flourished – and Israel is moving forward at a steady pace.

It has already resulted in an “unprecedented” security cooperation agreement during the visit to Rabat by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz.

Since then, Israeli and Moroccan media have reported on Morocco’s acquisition of Israeli defense industry technology.

In addition, Israeli Economy Minister Orna Barbivai is expected to visit the Moroccan capital in early 2022, according to the head of Israel’s liaison office in Morocco, David Govrin, quoted by Moroccan media.

This anniversary comes in a tense Maghreb context.

After his two-day visit in Rabat end of November, Benny Gantz said his visit was unprecedentedly public and announced deepened cooperation with the kingdom

Israel hopes its renewed ties with Morocco will turn into a deep relationship based on short-term arms sales, a common enemy and something more robust, with a longer lifespan.

Speaking to reporters in the Moroccan capital, where he signed a wide-ranging memorandum of understanding with the North African kingdom, Gantz noted that his trip was not only an official state visit, but one that was particularly publicized by the local media.

“I suggest that we not be cynical about this. I think that the official and open visit of a defense minister, with exposure in the press and public events, is something unprecedented and very important for Israel’s security and for its foreign relations,” he said.

During his trip, the first official visit of an Israeli defense minister to Rabat, Benny Gantz met with leaders of the Jewish community and with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the head of the armed forces, Belkhir El Farouk, and the head of the Moroccan intelligence service, Abdellatif Hammouchi.

Gantz and Loudiyi signed the memorandum of understanding between the two countries, which formalized security ties between the two countries and facilitated intelligence sharing, direct communication between the militaries and defense ministries, and the sale of weapons and defensive systems by Israel to Morocco.

“The agreement we signed created a work plan. A steering committee will be established – headed by the Ministry of Defense, with the participation of the Israeli army and other organizations – that will operate throughout the year to advance our common interests. There will soon be military delegations coming [to Morocco], and I expect joint exercises,” said a senior Israeli defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

According to Benny Gantz’s office, the memorandum of understanding and renewed ties are also expected to lead to major arms contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming years, although defense officials stress that this is not Israel’s primary goal.

The senior defense official denied Israeli media reports that the two countries have already signed such arms sales. While Morocco has expressed interest in a number of Israeli systems – including the Barak 8 missile defense system, Israeli aerospace industry drones, Elbit radar systems and more – these deals are in their early stages and have not received the required approvals.

“There will be projects and sales to come, but the defense minister did not approve and sign any agreements while he was there. All the major sales that have been discussed have to go through an approval and signing process. But I am optimistic that they will be completed. The Moroccans have many challenges in defending their borders, against missiles and in the area of drones, and we want to help them fight terrorism,” the official said.

Morocco’s main focus is its ongoing feud with neighboring Algeria, which supports a separatist group in Morocco, the Polisario Front, that calls for an independent state in Western Sahara, which Rabat claims as its own.

In the framework of the resumption of diplomatic relations, the U.S. had recognized the “Moroccanness” of Western Sahara, considered the “first national cause” in Morocco.