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Joint Moroccan-Israeli project aims to boost peace through travel
May 12, 2022
'Our project is traveling for peace. We are bringing people to people'
A delegation of innovators from Morocco is building a system to promote groundbreaking social projects by connecting Moroccan and Israeli travelers.
Almost two years after the Abraham Accords were signed, normalizing ties between Israel and several Arab states, relations in the region are at an all-time high, especially between Morocco and Israel.
A prime example of that relationship is the NGO ISRAEL-is and its Leaders of Tomorrow delegation, a project that is looking for ways to nurture Israel’s newfound connections with the Arab world.
ISRAELI-is Director of Strategy Matan Dansker told i24NEWS that his platform aims to connect young Israelis to their counterparts in Arab countries.
“We’re trying to bring peace to the ground, and the best way to do so is through innovation and solutions that do both good for society and that bring people together to cross borders and meet,” Dansker said.
In February, Morocco and Israel agreed that Rabat’s national airline Royal Air Maroc would launch direct Tel Aviv-Casablanca flights, and on March 13, the first flight to take that route took off.
“Our project is traveling for peace. We are bringing people to people,” said Basma Okbi, a participant in the Leaders of Tomorrow group.
“It’s an amazing thing to get to know Israeli people in Israel. It’s a great opportunity to get to know more people and experience more culture,” she told i24NEWS.
Maya Avni, another delegate of the NGO, explained that she and Okbi are working on a website that connects travelers – Israelis in Morocco and Moroccans in Israel – to volunteers who will host them during their trips.
“We will build a community of peace travelers. Our long-term vision is to expose this project to all the other Abraham Accords countries,” Avni said.