Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev signs transport agreements with Morocco, 30 May 2023. Photo: Israeli Liaison Office in Morocco

Israeli Transportation Minister Miri Regev on Monday signed a series of deals between Israel and Morocco in the latest example of deepening ties between Israel and the Arab kingdom.

“I am sure that together we will strengthen and bring the relations between the countries and in the Middle East to new heights,” Regev wrote of the visit, the first by an Israeli Transportation Minister to Morocco.

Her Moroccan counterpart Mohamed Abdeljalil is expected to reciprocate the visit in September.

The three agreements signed include a mutual recognition of drivers’ licenses and a maritime agreement designed to encourage direct trade links between the two countries. The third agreement is a memorandum of understanding to increase cooperation in road safety and sustainable mobility, with Israel and Morocco agreeing to form a joint team focused on transportation innovation, including drones and self-driving cars.

Morocco formally established normal relations with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords framework that normalized relations between Israel and several Arab countries. As part of the negotiations to achieve that deal, the Trump administration agreed to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory.

Regev told i24 news on Tuesday that Israel would also be taking a position on the Western Sahara issue.

“Relations with Morocco are of the utmost importance to Israel, and I am sure that the government will take a position on this issue very soon,” she said.