The Abraham Accords continue to amaze.
Elbit Systems, an Israeli defense technology company, has announced plans to open two sites in Morocco, Shai Cohen, head of Israel’s liaison office in Rabat, said during a press conference this week.Elbit Systems is renowned for its expertise in developing and implementing advanced defense solutions. The opening of the new sites is considered as a strategic move for Elbit Systems as it aligns with the company’s commitment to expanding its global footprint and leveraging Morocco’s strategic position as a gateway to the African market.While specific details regarding the locations and operations of the two sites are yet to be disclosed, Cohen confirmed that one of the facilities will be located in the Casablanca region.The move comes as a result of the renewed diplomatic and economic relations between Morocco and Israel. The two countries reinstated diplomatic relations in December 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. Since then, the two countries have been forging closer ties, fostering collaborations across various sectors, including defense.
According to the Hespress Moroccan news site, Moroccan experts expect that Morocco would be helping Elbit manufacture high tech weaponry like drones and radars, although they may be guessing. They note that Casablanca offers companies easy access to sea ports as well as airports to make distribution easy,.
At the same time that protesters in the UK are trying to shut Elbit offices down there, ostensibly on behalf of Palestinians, at least one Arab nation is anxious to host that same company and strengthen ties with Israel.
Morocco has made it clear that it wants to become an arms manufacturer and not rely completely on others for its weapons for defense. This appears to be the first major deal with a foreign arms company.
In the Hespress article, while there is the expected antisemitism, most Moroccans are pleased with the deal. They note that Morocco’s traditional friends in France, Spain and the US never considered building any weapons plants in the kingdom – while Israel does.
The move shows an enormous amount of trust in the Morocco-Israel relationship. Which is, again, astounding.
{Reposted from the EoZ site}