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Morocco normalization talk is Israeli spin, State Dept. says

The comment came following persistent reports in Israel that Jerusalem is very close to establishing official ties with Rabat, attributed to anonymous sources.

US Secretary of Stateย Mike Pompeoย did not discuss normalization with Israel in his meetings with the Moroccan government, senior State Department officials said on Thursday.

โ€œIt wasnโ€™t a topic of discussion,โ€ the official said in a press briefing following Pompeoโ€™s visit to Rabat.

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The official said he read about normalization in Israeli media, โ€œand it struck me as just another Israeli leak to the press of their own issue. But it was coincident with our trip, but it wasnโ€™t on our agenda.โ€

The comment came following persistent reports in Israel that Jerusalem is very close to establishing official ties with Rabat, attributed to anonymous sources.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat refused to answer questions on the matter during aย press briefingย in Lisbon, where the premier met with Pompeo a day earlier.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Army Radio early in the week that an Israeli delegation to Washington was promoting a non-belligerence pact with Morocco, UAE, Bahrain and Oman.

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