Israel and Moroccan officials at signing ceremony for energy research cooperation agreement at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. Photo credit: Ilan Spira

Israel and Morocco on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement to jointly advance renewable energy technology solutions, in another banner agreement between the two countries since the two countries normalized relations in 2020.

“This is a historical stepping stone for research programs, projects and constructive collaboration between the states,” said Israel’s Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton. “As part of this collaboration, top-tier scientists and researchers will come together to provide solutions for issues of green energy for a better future for the fast-paced world we live in.”

The agreement, which was signed at a ceremony at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University was attended by Shasha-Biton, the Head of the Liaison Office of the Kingdom of Morocco to the State of Israel H.E. Abderrahim Beyyoudh, a Moroccan delegation of senior officials and scientists, Israeli scientists, and senior Israeli energy company officials.

Shasha-Biton described the ceremony as a “gathering of hope and future – hope to make an impact on the world by taking collaborative responsibility for a better future.”

Relations between Israel and Morocco have continued to deepen since their normalization agreement between the two countries was signed in 2020 under the US-brokered Abraham Accords. The resumption of ties between Morocco and Israel ended two decades of diplomatic estrangement and political disconnect which have often led to misunderstandings, conflict and hostility.

Under the terms of the agreement, bilateral joint research will focus on areas such as rechargeable batteries, recycling, solar energy, and the hydrogen economy. Additionally, the researchers and scientists will jointly work on providing solutions to Morocco’s major challenge of storing and transporting its energy to neighboring countries such as Spain. Morocco has set a goal of producing 52 percent of its electricity through renewable energy by 2030.

The bilateral agreement for energy cooperation was signed between the Mohammad VI Polytechnic University in the name of the Moroccan National Energy Transition Consortium (MNETC), which includes 20 research groups from various Moroccan universities, and the Israel National Energy Research Consortium (INERC), which includes 33 research groups from seven Israeli academic institutions.