It is difficult to predict a major breakthrough in relations between Algeria and Morocco after King Mohammed VI’s speech on the occasion of the Throne Day, which he presented to the Moroccan people on July 30, which was met with silence by the Algerian authorities, especially since Morocco has made important strides in diversifying its forms of provocations and aggression against Algeria. Perhaps the successive official visits of the military and security officials of the Hebrew state to the Kingdom made the Algerian side view this normalization as a security threat that it would be difficult for a speech to erase it, no matter how good its intentions seem.
During his three-day stay in Morocco, the Israeli Chief of Staff requested that his army be able to use the Moroccan military bases! It seems clear that the new military cooperation between Rabat and the Zionist entity has begun to take dangerous security turns for Algeria in particular and for North Africa in general.
What the Israeli chief of staff has just asked his Moroccan counterparts is an additional reason for neighboring countries, including Algeria, not to welcome the growing military rapprochement between Israel and Morocco. This is happening at a time when Moroccan organizations and parties opposed to this normalization are still organizing many demonstrations and activities against this alliance with the Zionist Satan.
But what is hidden behind this military alliance? The beginning was in December 2020, when Israel and Morocco announced the resumption of diplomatic relations between them, which had been suspended in 2000 due to the outbreak of the second Palestinian “intifada”. On the 22nd of the same month, the Moroccan government signed a “joint declaration” with Israel and the United States, during the first visit of an official Israeli-American delegation to the capital, Rabat. In March 2022, the Israeli army signed a memorandum of “military cooperation” with Morocco during the first visit of an Israeli military delegation to Morocco. We must mention that the links between the intelligence services of the two countries have not been severed since the establishment of the Jewish state. Many Jews of Moroccan origin have maintained this connection in the most difficult of circumstances.
At the time, the Israeli army stated, in a statement received by Anadolu Agency, that the signing took place after a meeting between the head of the Strategic Authority and the Third Department of the army, “Tel Kilman”, the commander of the Foreign Relations Brigade, “Avidaverin” and the commander of the Intelligence Activation Brigade (whose identity has not been revealed) in Morocco. The statement said: “During the visit, the leaders met with Major General Dakour Darmi Al-Farouq Belkheir, the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and the leaders of the General Staff.”
But the new development came after the recent visit of the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, “Aviv Kohavi.” He was received by the Chief of Staff of the “Honor Guard” and a number of officials upon his arrival. A massive demonstration went out to denounce his visit, which is evidence of the refusal of the honorable people of Morocco for this visit and all the policy of normalization with the Zionist entity pursued by the Makhzen. It should be remembered that “Aviv Kochavi” is the first Israeli chief of staff to visit Morocco on an official trip. “Kokhani” was honored and interviewed at the highest level, where he met the Moroccan Minister of Finance, “Abdullatif Al-Waidi”, the commander of the Royal Armed Forces, “Belkheir Al-Farouq”, the head of the Moroccan Intelligence Department, “Ibrahim Hosni” and other prominent officials in the Ministry of Defense. The meetings dealt with discussing opportunities for military cooperation, both in terms of training, and ways to develop the operational and intelligence fields.
We should also mention that last November, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed a memorandum of understanding with his Moroccan counterpart in Rabat – the first ever agreement of its kind between a Jewish state and an Arab state. It allowed for a smoother and easier cooperation for Israel to sell arms to the tempting kingdom.
Not long ago, and last month, Israeli officers and representatives of the Ministry of Defense participated in the African Lion 2022 military exercise, the largest on the African continent, which was organized by Morocco and the United States as observers.
This strategic and military alliance, which was concluded with Washington’s blessing, has become increasingly alarming for Algeria, which is currently playing a prominent regional role, especially its unwavering support for self-determination in Western Sahara and its absolute support for the Palestinian cause. With the blessing of the store.
The security cooperation agreement included a section for the development of the military industry, which aims to give Morocco a technological and military advantage over its neighbor Algeria, which led to a further deterioration in the already very tense relations between Morocco and Algeria. Incidents related to internal security and territorial integrity, and we mention in particular the wiretapping of Algerian officials using the spyware known as Pegasus or the invitation of the Moroccan ambassador to the United Nations in favor of the autonomy of the Kabylie region – which Algeria considers a red line.
Perhaps the most hideously aggressive intention expressed by the Makhzen is that “on November 1, 2021, three Algerian nationals were subjected to a cowardly assassination in a barbaric bombing of their trucks while they were traveling between Nouakchott and Ouargla as part of a normal commercial exchange movement between the peoples of the region.”
The statement of the Presidency of the Republic, which reported the news, revealed that “several elements point to the involvement of the Moroccan occupation forces in Western Sahara in perpetrating this cowardly assassination using advanced weapons.”
Several sources confirmed that Morocco apparently used an Israeli “drone” weapon. The Algerian presidency said in its statement that “their assassination will not go unpunished,” praising the “three innocent victims of the act of state terrorism.”
To illustrate the degree of cooperation and coordination between the Moroccan and Israeli armies, we recall what was reported by an official Israeli television channel, which reported that “a Moroccan Air Force F-16 plane landed at the Israeli Air Force Base, Hatzor, in July 2021.” According to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, which transmitted the information, Israeli sources claimed that a Hercules C-130 transport plane landed on the runway of the aforementioned base and on board the plane, a F-16 fighter belonging to the Royal Air Force. The Moroccan army participated in a planned military maneuver in Israel, presumably aimed at simulating a response to “supposed Iranian or Algerian” aggression. Neither the Moroccan authorities nor their media mentioned such a move, which was apparently kept secret due to embarrassment.
However, analyzing the Israeli-Moroccan cooperation only through the Algerian-Moroccan perspective would be an error in assessing and understanding the dimensions of this alliance. In fact, most countries around the Mediterranean, starting with Spain, are also concerned. The new military cooperation between Rabat and Tel Aviv could change the “geo-security” situation in the region.. How? Morocco could be more emboldened and provocative because of its new relations with Israel and Washington, and thus will make military overreach more aggressive in its confrontation with Spain. So far, Morocco has been desperately trying to bolster its image as a reliable ally with the international community, despite being the world’s largest exporter of cannabis and its occupation of Western Sahara since Spain withdrew from that territory in 1975 to make itself illegal under international law.
Many analysts and even the international press assert that at the regional level, the agreement with Israel is also likely to have important consequences. A better-armed Morocco is more likely to enter into a military conflict, even in the narrowest of borders, with Algeria or with the Polisario Front in Western Sahara and this has already happened, and the Maghreb, as well as the Sahel and French-speaking Africa as a whole, will feel their shocks in the heart of Europe in the medium term and far away. Because the destabilization of North Africa will inevitably lead to a wave of migration to Europe on a scale never seen before. Moreover, because of the importance of the living French-Moroccan community in France, any armed conflict against Algeria is fueled by the illusion of gaining military supremacy derived from this military alliance between Israel and Morocco, even if it is of low intensity, can only have very serious repercussions for security internal in France. Paris, in particular, could position itself as a supposed interlocutor and partner throughout the Maghreb if it ends its unconditional support for the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. A development that will be more beneficial because while the Europeans are looking for an alternative to Russian gas, Algeria can prove to be an important alternative in this field.
According to the Moroccan online daily newspaper, Le Desk, the Israeli chief of staff requested during his three-day stay in Morocco that his army be able to use Moroccan military bases!
In order to put the reader in the picture to understand the secrets of the wooing of the Zionist entity, we will list some facts that show a small part of the secrets of this alliance with Israel.
Last summer, the Israeli army hosted a “commando” unit from the Royal Armed Forces to participate in a maneuver for the multinational special operations forces called “HD ANNUAL-21”, which took place at the Israeli military base in “El Yakim” from 5 to 8 July 2021.
Israel has sold Morocco various weapons systems in the past, including drones, electronic software, and missile defense systems. We are talking about a deal volume of one billion dollars in 2021. In the same context, the “Jerusalem Post” newspaper reported that Rabat is today interested in purchasing the Barak-MX medium-range surface-to-air missile system. It is an integrated system to counter a wide range of aerial threats ranging from helicopters and aircraft to drones and cruise missiles. The Gulf states are also interested in acquiring the system as part of the emerging regional defense system with Israel.
In 2014, Morocco bought three Heron drones from Israel Aerospace Industries for $50 million. The ‘heron’, which arrived on the market in 2000, can stay in the air for 45 hours and reach an altitude of 35,000 feet. According to publicly available information, the deal was not for armed drones, but for the Heron 1, which is equipped with sensors, and according to the Israel Aerospace Industries website, the aircraft has the ability to “collect complex intelligence, surveillance, patrol, identify targets and perform tasks in various terrains.”
On the other hand, Israeli media revealed in November 2021 that Morocco had acquired the “Harop” drones, manufactured by the Israel Aerospace Industries, for $22 million. Unlike drones developed for surveillance or attack, which are designed to return home once their mission is complete, the Harop is an “ammunition” drone, otherwise known as a “Kamikaze Drone”, in other words, self-destructing Like a missile when it attacks its designated target. And if Harop does not find his target, he can be sent back to his home base. The deal includes the sale of radar systems manufactured by Elta System, and the deal also includes an anti-drone system produced by Skylock.
In addition, work is underway on a project to modernize the F-5 fighter aircraft of the Moroccan Air Force. These planes, which were used by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War, arrived in Morocco in the 1970s, and these old planes have been in use ever since and need updating.
Now, the Israeli army, which has an aggressive tendency, is striving to set its foot in Morocco by exploiting military bases, which is an indication of a military and security escalation that will have dire repercussions on Morocco and the stability of North Africa. It is tantamount to declaring war against Algeria, which has the right to reserve the courtship of King Mohammed VI at a time when the real reasons behind the escalation of the crisis and the severing of relations between the two countries remain.
