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Israel: New direct flight between Tel Aviv, Moroccan port city
July 26, 2023
Announcement comes as Morocco sees steep rise in number of Israeli tourists in 2023
Israeli flight carrier Arkia will soon launch flights between Tel Aviv and the Moroccan city of Essaouira. The Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) and the Israeli airline will sign a partnership agreement on Friday for the launch of a direct line linking these two coastal cities.
This new partnership comes as relations between the two countries have intensified in recent months. According to the Moroccan Tourism Observatory, Morocco has seen a sharp increase in the number of Israeli tourists in the first half of 2023.
Since Rabat signed onto the historic Abraham Accords agreement in December of 2020, millions of Israelis with Moroccan roots have traveled to the North African country, including a stream of Jerusalem's government officials such as Israel's Parliament Speaker Amir Ohana, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi.
Rabat and Jerusalem have also quickly established deep security and strategic relations, with the IDF recently appointing a military attaché.
Israel also recently declared recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the contested Western Sahara region, with Moroccan King Mohammed VI breaking the news, and inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the country.