Morocco and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) concluded a defense contract worth one billion dollars at the end of 2023, symbolizing an intensification of military cooperation between the two countries, the international and Israeli press reported, citing sources. sources close to the case.
Amir Peretz, head of Israeli-Moroccan IAI and former Minister of Defense and Economy and Industry, is said to have traveled discreetly to Morocco in recent days to formalize the agreement. His group also informed the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange in a press release of the conclusion of a billion-dollar deal, without specifying the details or the name of the acquiring country, undoubtedly to avoid protests from a fringe. of Moroccan public opinion. But the Israeli media Calcalist cited security sources indicating that it was indeed Morocco.
This agreement provides for the acquisition by Morocco of two “observation” satellites of the Ofek 13 type (Horizon in Hebrew) from IAI. These satellites will replace those currently in service, built by Airbus and Thales, French companies, which should soon reach the end of their life. The replacement thus aims to improve the country’s military capabilities in its air, land, and maritime defense.
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IAI manufactures some of the most sophisticated anti-missile systems and drones in Israel’s arsenal. The agreement between the company and Morocco will be executed over five years. This is the largest contract between the two countries since the Abraham Accords concluded at the end of 2020.
According to the Israeli economic daily Globes, the sale of the two Israeli satellites would have the aftertaste of revenge against France, which banned the participation of Israeli companies in the last Eurosatory arms fair in Paris last month.
Although Morocco has called for an end to the fighting between Israel and Hamas, the government does not question its partnership with the Jewish state. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Israel has been, in recent years, Morocco’s third supplier of military equipment, providing 11% of its arsenal. In 2022, IAI had already supplied Barak air defense systems worth $540 million, the vast majority of which has already been delivered to Rabat. Israel also reportedly sold Heron drones.
In June, en route from the United States to Haifa, an Israeli military ship was allowed to stop in Tangier, northern Morocco. On this occasion, part of the left and Islamist movements once again demonstrated against the normalization of relations between their country and Israel. The demonstrators notably chanted in the streets of Tangier “Gaza is not alone”, Palestinian flags in their hands.
Rabat announced last March that it had sent 40 tonnes of humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza. Following the June rallies in Morocco, new aid of 40 tonnes of medical products was sent again.
Since the start of the war in Gaza following the October 7 pogrom perpetrated by Hamas on Israeli soil, several large-scale demonstrations have taken place in Morocco to demand a repeal of normalization, while opposition to this process has been limited so far.
