NEW YORK — Israel and Morocco agreed Wednesday to upgrade their diplomatic missions to full embassies and exchange ambassadors, nearly six years after Morocco joined the U.S.-brokered normalization drive that reshaped Israel’s relations with parts of the Arab world. The agreement came during a trilateral meeting in New York between U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, one day after officials marked the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords.
The original accords were signed by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Sept. 15, 2020. Morocco followed through with a separate U.S.-Morocco-Israel Joint Declaration signed in Rabat on Dec. 22, 2020, restoring official contacts and committing the countries to move toward full diplomatic relations, direct flights and expanded economic cooperation. IS ISRAEL REALLY ISOLATED?
POLLS AND DIPLOMACY POINT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS Wednesday's agreement advances several of those commitments. Israel and Morocco agreed to establish full embassies and exchange ambassadors, reinstate direct flights by both Israeli and Moroccan airlines before the end of 2026 and finalize agreements on investment protection and avoidance of double taxation. The countries also pledged to expand cooperation in trade, finance, technology, tourism, water, agriculture, food security, energy, telecommunications and regional security, according to a Sept. 16 joint statement.
The statement also reaffirmed U.S. and Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and support for Morocco's autonomy proposal as the basis for resolving the territorial dispute. But the discussion quickly widened beyond Morocco to whether the normalization framework could eventually include Saudi Arabia. Asked by Fox News Digital whether Saudi Arabia could be the next country to join the Abraham Accords — amid reports of growing Israeli-Saudi security cooperation against the Iran-backed Houthis — Waltz focused on the regional threat posed by the Houthis and their attacks on international shipping.
"The scourge of terrorism from them is unacceptable to the entire region," Waltz said. "They continue to act as a proxy of the Iranian regime." NEW RISK FOR US CONSUMERS AS IRAN-BACKED ATTACKS THREATEN A SECOND MAJOR OIL CHOKEPOINT "You cannot attempt to punish the rest of the world to achieve a political end," he added. "The oceans, trade, and international waterways must remain open." The comments come as the Houthis have made major gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. reported Sept. 16 that the offensive has exposed new vulnerabilities for Saudi Arabia and strengthened Iran's regional leverage.
The 18-mile-wide Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries roughly 7% of global oil output. Houthi attacks beginning in 2023 forced major shipping companies to reroute vessels around Africa, increasing costs and transit times. TRUMP SAYS SAUDI NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WON'T MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT ABRAHAM ACCORDS: 'THEY HAVE TO BE A MEMBER' Sa’ar said the threats at Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz demonstrated why countries with shared interests should cooperate.
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