Moroccan king eager to strengthen ties with Israel

JERUSALEM

Israeli President Isaac Herzog received a letter from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI in which the latter expressed hope to strengthen bilateral ties with Israel, according to media reports on Friday.

According to the Times of Israel, King Mohammed VI thanked Herzog for his letter handed last week by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid during his visit to Morocco.

“I am pleased with the steps taken for the resumption of contacts between our two countries. I am convinced that we shall make this momentum sustainable in order to promote the prospects of peace for all peoples in the region,” the Moroccan king's letter was quoted as saying.

On August 12, Lapid opened an Israeli liaison office in the Moroccan capital of Rabat as part of his first official visit to the north African nation.

Israel and Morocco announced on Dec. 10, 2020, the resumption of diplomatic relations after they were suspended in 2000 following the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada.

Morocco is the fourth Arab country to agree to normalization with Israel since 2020 after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara