(4 minutes read)
· Moroccan Jews are eagerly waiting for restoration of direct flights to Israel. Recently, Morocco, a monarchy, normalized ties with Israel-a deal that was brokered by the United States
· Close to one million Jews are living in Morocco. Israel had established liaison offices in Morocco in the 1990s; but closed in the early 2000s when relations soured in the backdrop of outbreak of the Palestinian uprising
· Many in Morocco feel that the deal would bring economic spin offs to the North African country mainly in terms of showcasing its tourism sector, which has great potential in attracting high budget tourists from the West and Israel
Moroccan Jews are eagerly waiting for restoration of direct flights to Israel. Recently, Morocco, a monarchy, normalized ties with Israel-a deal that was brokered by the United States. But the two countries have yet to establish direct commercial flights between each other. Many feel that the launch of direct commercial flights, which was widely expected, are caught in bureaucratic delays and the coronavirus pandemic.
Many in Morocco feel that the deal would bring economic spin offs to the North African country mainly in terms of showcasing its tourism sector, which has great potential in attracting high budget tourists from the West and Israel. Morocco also bargained for recognizing its claim over the disputed Western Sahara region, which the US had conceded as a part of the deal. Many feel that the deal is a testimony of the heightened importance the US has assigned to the African region and North Africa in particular.
Close to one million Jews are living in Morocco. Israel had established liaison offices in Morocco in the 1990s; but closed in the early 2000s when relations soured in the backdrop of outbreak of the Palestinian uprising. The commercial relationship continued despite the hiccups. The bilateral trade between the two countries clocked US$ 149 million during the period 2014-17. It is expected that the re-opening of the liaison offices could make it much easier for Moroccans to obtain visas to visit Israel.
Having the largest concentration of Jews- Morocco is home to North Africa’s biggest Jewish community. It is the ancestral homeland of some 700,000 Israelis. This can be a trigger for the visit of Israelis to Morocco bringing the country precious foreign exchange. Jews settlements in Morocco had sprung up in the 15th century after the Jews expelled from Spain settled there. By the late 1 becoming a sizable part of its demography. But in the later years, the number had considerably come down with the setting up of Israel. Jews in large numbers flocked to their promised land.
