Israel agreed on Tuesday to bring Moroccan workers into its construction and nursing sectors, during a visit to Rabat by Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked.
The signing of the agreement was decided during a meeting between Shaked and Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, according to a press release from Israel’s Interior Ministry.
"The goal is to start within a month to bring Moroccan workers to Israel in the nursing and construction sectors," Shaked said.
Israel and Morocco normalized diplomatic relations in December 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, a process between the Jewish state and several Arab countries, supported by Washington.
In return, the Trump administration recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara, a vast desert territory.
The Western Sahara conflict – 80 percent controlled by Morocco but considered a "non-autonomous territory" by the United Nations – has pitted the kingdom since 1975 against the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria.
During her meeting with the head of Moroccan diplomacy, Shaked "publicly gave for the first time Israel's support for Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara,” according to the press release.
Her visit to the Moroccan capital came after the United States and Morocco launched the "African Lion 2022" military exercise on Monday in southern Morocco, amid a climate of regional tension with Algeria.
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Moroccan tanks participate in "African Lion 2022" joint military drill with U.S.
(Photo: AFP)
The exercise mobilized more than 7,500 soldiers from ten nations, including Brazil, Chad, France, and the United Kingdom. Military observers from NATO and fifteen "partner countries,” including Israel, took part.
Algeria, a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause, severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021, accusing Rabat of "hostile acts" and denouncing its military and security cooperation with Israel.