El Al, Israir and Arkia airlines have announced that they will fly to Moroccan cities starting this summer

Tres aerolíneas israelíes operarán con varias ciudades de Marruecos

photo_camera AFP/ JACK GUEZ - Israeli airlines, Israir, El Al and Arkia will serve several Moroccan cities, including Marrakech, from 25 July 2021.

From 25 July it will be possible to travel from Israel to Morocco and vice versa without a stopover. Israeli airline El Al confirmed this in a statement on Friday. "The airline will operate flights between Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport, located just outside Tel Aviv, and the Moroccan cities of Casablanca and Marrakech," the company announced. El Al, in the statement, also referred to the recent pact between Morocco and Israel establishing formal relations between the two nations. "El Al's direct historic ties with Morocco follow the agreement signed between the two countries in December 2020." This rapprochement was pushed by former US president Donald Trump, as were agreements between Israel and other Arab countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

El Al provided information about the flights, which will last five hours. Tickets will cost around $500 for a round trip. "Morocco offers a winning combination of breathtaking desert landscapes, historic cities, stunning architecture, colourful markets, great food and warm hospitality," the airline wrote.

Israir, another Israeli airline will also start flying to Morocco from 25 July. As for Arkia, it will do so from 3 August.

El Al's first flight landed in Rabat on 22 December 2020, after the formalisation of relations between Israel and the Alawi Kingdom. This trip brought an American and an Israeli, symbolising the re-establishment of diplomatic ties.

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Israel and Morocco continue to strengthen relations

With the new Israeli government, headed by the new Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, it seems that relations between the two countries will continue in the same cordial tone. The Moroccan monarch, Mohammed VI, sent a letter congratulating Bennet, assuring that the Kingdom 'will continue its efforts to promote peace, justice and coexistence in the Middle East'.

In response, the new Israeli leader called Morocco 'an important friend and partner in promoting peace and security in the region'. He also announced that he would work to strengthen relations between the two states in "all areas".

Rabat, however, is not forgetting the Palestinian cause. Recently, Hamas leader Ismail Haniya met with Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani. During the meeting, they discussed the latest escalation of war between Israel and Hamas, as well as ways to support the Palestinian cause. Haniya thanked King Mohammed VI and other political figures in the country for their support, stressing the importance of Moroccan-Palestinian relations. 

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