Morocco - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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City Name

Rabat

Morocco

October 15, 2026

Rabat 10:50 pm

20°C

Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, Morocco's newly appointed head of government

Culture

Who is Fatima El Mansouri, Morocco’s first woman prime minister?

Her appointment marks the first time a woman has served as Morocco’s head of government and the second time a woman has held the position in the Arab world.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-9 'Dreamliner' aircraft

Israel, Morocco agree to exchange ambassadors, open embassies

The move will mark the first time Morocco and Israel have exchanged ambassadors.

UDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Fueled by regional rivalries, Algeria severs diplomatic ties with UAE

Algiers accused Abu Dhabi of increasingly “provocative and hostile actions” after years of friction over Morocco, Western Sahara and competing regional interests.

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, speaks to the media during a FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Press Conference at Mexico City Stadium on June 10, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico.

Analysis

FIFA in turmoil: Middle East takes center stage as Infantino fights to stay in power

Amid the backlash to FIFA President Gianni Infantino's controversial investment plan, upcoming World Cup hosts Morocco and Saudi Arabia have starring roles in the drama.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Explainer

Estimated 60,000 migrants cross from Morocco into Spanish territory: What we know

Ceuta

Explainer

France-Morocco ties get an energy jolt as historic heatwaves pressure Europe

Director of European Affairs and Customs at La Poste Groupe Christelle Defaye-Geneste (L) and Morocco's Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour (R) sign agreements between La Poste Groupe and Barid Al-Maghrib, alongside France's Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu (C-L) and his Moroccan counterpart, Aziz Akhannouch, during a meeting in Rabat on July 16, 2026.

Naima Morelli

In Rome, reporting on Middle East culture

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

US concerned after Moroccan court upholds journalist’s sentence

The State Department said it was "concerned with the judicial process" that led to Omar Radi's six-year sentence.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomes Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (L) to address the media at the State Department in Washington, DC, on Nov. 22, 2021.

Morocco acquires Israeli anti-drone air defense system

Israel's defense minister is expected in Rabat on Wednesday to finalize further deals.

Israeli Minister of Defense Benny Gantz speaks at Jerusalem Post's annual conference, Jerusalem, Oct. 12, 2021.

Israeli defense minister to visit Morocco in first since normalization

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is expected to sign security cooperation agreements with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi.

Sahara protest

Algeria accuses Morocco of fatal attack on three truck drivers

The Algerian presidency said the killing of the three Algerian truck drivers in a roadside bombing on Monday "will not go unpunished."

The mother of Omar Radi (pictured), a prominent Moroccan journalist and activist on trial over charges of rape and receiving foreign funds.

Morocco sentences journalist Omar Radi in trial slammed by rights groups

The court on Monday sentenced Omar Radi to six years in prison on espionage and rape charges he denies.

Protest against Soulaiman Raissouni's sentencing

Moroccan journalist's jailing draws rebuke from US

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States is "disappointed" by a Moroccan court's five-year sentence of journalist Soulaiman Raissouni.

Moroccans demonstrate, calling for an end to violence in Gaza and against the normalization with Israel, in the capital, Rabat, on May 16, 2021.

Moroccan PM congratulates Hamas for 'victory' against Israel

Saadeddine Othmani's support for the Palestinians during the recent conflict with Israel followed Morocco and Israel agreeing to normalize relations late last year.

A Sahrawi soldier waves the Sahrawi flag during a parade marking the 45th anniversary of the declaration of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), at a refugee camp on the outskirts of the southwestern Algerian city of Tindouf, on Feb. 27, 2021.

Tensions between Morocco, Polisario Front remain after leader's killing

Polisario Front Police Chief Addah al-Bendir was murdered. And much like the long-simmering dispute between the Front and Morocco, nothing about his death is clear.

Iranian pharmaceutical factory

Surprising economic upside seen for Egypt, Morocco and Iran

Reports this month by the IMF and the US intelligence community also underscore troubling trendlines.

Freedom House: Syria, Western Sahara worst in world for political rights

The think tank also downgraded Jordan to "not free" in its 2021 democracy rankings.

Israel reopens liaison office in Morocco

The mission's reopening comes a month after Israel and Morocco agreed to establish diplomatic and economic ties.

United Arab Emirates

David Schenker, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, (L) meets with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita during a meeting in Dakhla in Morocco-administered Western Sahara, on January 10, 2021. - Schenker is visiting the contested Western Sahara after Washington recognised Morocco's sovereignty there in exchange for Rabat normalising ties with Israel. Western Sahara is a disputed and divided former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco's control, where tensions with the pro-independen

Israel’s Cabinet approves diplomatic relations with Morocco

The agreement calls for "diplomatic, peaceful and friendly relations" between the two governments.