Israeli defense minister to visit Morocco in first since normalization

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz will make an official visit to Morocco next week, in the first such visit since the two countries agreed to normalize relations last year. 

During the Nov. 24-25 visit announced by his office Monday, Gantz and his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi, are expected to sign a series of security cooperation agreements. 

Gantz’s visit to Rabat comes three months after Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid inaugurated the Israeli Liaison Office in the Moroccan capital. Lapid’s August visit marked the first by an Israeli foreign minister since 2003 and the highest-level trip since the signing of the Abraham Accords last year.