New flights between Israel and Morocco to increase in post-normalisation move

Moroccan and Emirati airlines will launch new flights between Morocco and Israel as Rabat and Tel Aviv push forward with normalisation.

The increase in flights will come from Morocco's Royal Air Maroc and the UAE's Air Arabia, an Israeli diplomat said on Sunday.

"Due to the increasing demand on the Morocco-Israel direct flights, Air Arabia and RAM will launch new routes linking Marrakesh and Casablanca to Israel, starting this October," said David Govrin Israel's Chargé d'Affaires to Rabat.

The move is a "major step to the efforts aimed at strengthening relations between Morocco and Israel," Gorvin added.

On Friday, Moroccan Tourism Minister Nadia Fattah Al-Alawi and her Israeli counterpart, Yoel Razvozov, discussed ways to increase tourism between the two countries.

Their phone call came days after Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid announced a visit to Morocco, in the first trip to the kingdom by Israel's top diplomat since they normalised ties.

The Israeli foreign ministry confirmed last week that the visit will take place this coming Wednesday and Thursday.

Morocco was one of four Arab states to agree last year to normalise ties with Israel, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

The move came as the administration of former US President Donald Trump recognised Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed and divided former Spanish colony.

Morocco is home to North Africa's largest Jewish community, which numbers around 3,000. Some 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin live in Israel.