Israel, Morocco agree to upgrade diplomatic ties, Israeli government says

CAIRO, Sept 16 - The foreign ministers of Israel and Morocco agreed to upgrade diplomatic ties including opening embassies and appointing ambassadors, according to a statement on Wednesday by the official Israeli government account in Arabic on X.

Morocco was one of four Arab countries - along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan - to move towards normalizing relations with Israel in 2020 under U.S.-engineered accords. Israel separately has peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan.

The deals had fueled Palestinian concerns on the viability of a long-standing pan-Arab position that calls for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory and acceptance of Palestinian statehood, in return for normal relations with Arab countries.

The statement said a tripartite meeting was held in New York between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz.

The officials affirmed commitment to a series of steps aimed at advancing ties between Israel and Morocco, including "elevating their respective diplomatic missions to the level of embassies, and appointing ambassadors," according to the statement.

They also agreed to expand flights between Israel and Morocco and work on finalizing agreements aimed at facilitating mutual investments and economic and trade ties. REUTERS