During the meeting, Ben-Shabbat invited the king to visit Israel, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
Afterward, representatives from the three countries Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Kushner and Ben-Shabbat issued a trilateral declaration, which included an obligation to “resume full official contacts between Israeli and Moroccan counterparts” by the end of next month.
Israeli National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat (L) and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner (center) meet with Moroccan King Mohammed VI (R) at the royal palace in Rabat, Morocco, December 22, 2020. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
Though the United States, which brokered the renewal of ties between Jerusalem and Rabat, anticipated that these normalized ties between two countries would develop full diplomatic ties, for now the relationship would remain at a slightly lower level. In place of embassies, the two planned to reopen liaison offices Israel’s in Rabat, Morocco’s in Tel Aviv
0 shares
More from Netanyahu: The prime minister says he spoke with the heads of “several of the largest vaccine manufacturers in the world” about securing more vaccines. He does not give details on what was discussed, but says he believes “Israel can definitely be one of the first countries to emerge from the coronavirus crisis.”
He also says the pharma chiefs are “very optimistic that the vaccines will be effective” for the new strain of coronavirus that has spread through the UK and will likely reach other parts of the world.
He notes several more days are required in order to ascertain this.
0 shares
Prime Minister Netanyahu is planning to make a live statement to the press shortly after 8 p.m., less than four hours before the dissolution of the Knesset. I m proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it s full of beauty and meaning.
I m proud to work at The Times of Israel alongside colleagues who pour their hearts into their work day in, day out, to capture the complexity of this extraordinary place.
I believe our reporting sets an important tone of honesty and decency that s essential to understand what s really happening in Israel. It takes a lot of time, commitment and hard work from our team to get this right.
0 shares
Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry says in a statement it has no intention of normalizing relations with Israel, no matter what else happens in the international arena, Reuters reports.
The statement is issued as another North African nation, Morocco, signs agreements with Israeli officials to re-establish ties in the capital Rabat. I m proud to work at The Times of Israel
I’ll tell you the truth: Life here in Israel isn’t always easy. But it s full of beauty and meaning.
I m proud to work at The Times of Israel alongside colleagues who pour their hearts into their work day in, day out, to capture the complexity of this extraordinary place.
1 shares
New polls by Channel 12 and Kan News show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud maintain its lead ahead of the coming election, but it remains unclear if he’ll be able to form a government.
A survey by Channel 12 has Likud at 29 Knesset seats; Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope with 18; Yesh Atid-Telem 16; Yamina 13; Joint List 11; Shas 8; United Torah Judaism 8; Yisrael Beytenu 7; Meretz 5; Blue and White 5.
Kan has Likud at 28; New Hope 20; Yamina 15; Yesh Atid-Telem 13; Joint List 11; Shas 8; UTJ 7; Blue and White 6; Yisrael Beytenu 6; Meretz 6.
Israelis cast their ballot at a voting station in Jerusalem, March 2, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)