Israel FM makes first visit to Morocco since ties normalised

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid’s visit is the first by a top Israeli diplomat since relations were upgraded last December.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has left for Morocco in what will be the first visit by Israel’s top diplomat since the two countries upgraded ties last year. Israel and Morocco agreed in December to resume diplomatic relations and re-launch direct flights under a deal brokered by former US President Donald Trump. As part of the agreement, Washington also recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, where there has been a decades-old territorial dispute with Morocco pitted against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, a movement that seeks to establish an independent state in the territory.