As part of her diplomatic visit to Morocco, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked met on Tuesday with her Moroccan counterpart, Abdelouafi Laftit, and with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, Nasser Bourita.
During the meeting with the Interior Minister of Morocco, the two discussed economic cooperation, with an emphasis on water desalination, and cooperation on medical issues.
The Minister raised her request to cooperate on the issue of recruiting foreign workers to Israel for the construction and nursing industries within the framework of bilateral agreements. She also offered that engineers from Morocco be integrated into the high-tech industry in Israel.
In addition, she thanked the Minister for the speedy issuing of visas to Israeli citizens seeking to arrive in Morocco and for the cooperation and hospitality for Israeli citizens arriving in Morocco.
In the meeting with the Foreign Minister, the two agreed next month to sign a bilateral agreement to bring workers for nursing and construction from Morocco to Israel. They discussed the Iranian problem and the challenges common to the two countries.
Minister Shaked publicly expressed, for the first time, Israel's support for Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara.
The meetings reflect the commitment of the two countries to renew full official contacts between Morocco and Israel.
Minister Shaked summed up the meeting and said, "I feel very at home in Morocco, in this beautiful country, to which about a million Israelis have an eternal connection. I see great importance in strengthening the strategic relationship between Morocco and Israel."
"The common heritage between Morocco and the Jews has been enshrined in the history books, we must preserve it and bring it new achievements. There is a mutual desire between the two countries to develop new economic opportunities, support the construction industry and provide quality care for our elderly. The goal is to start a pilot within one month of bringing foreign workers for nursing and construction from Morocco to Israel, and in addition, to create new connections in trade and innovation, internal security and protection."
Morocco renewed its official relations with Israel amid a string of normalization deals between Israel and Arab countries, brokered by the Trump administration in late 2020.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita hosted Foreign Minister Yair Lapid last August, in the first visit by an Israeli Foreign Minister to Morocco since 2003.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Rabat several months later, where he signed a ground-breaking defense memorandum of understanding.
Economy and Industry Minister Orna Barbivai visited Morocco in February, where she signed a new economic cooperation and trade agreement with her Moroccan counterpart.