Israel’s planned permanent defense office in Rabat marks a new stage in its relationship with Morocco. On November 9, 2026, Defense Ministry Director General Amir Baram arrived on behalf of Defense Minister Israel Katz for talks with senior Moroccan officials. The office, Israel’s official military liaison point, will be headed by Colonel Sharon Itach, appointed as its first military attaché to Morocco in July 2023.
Israel’s planned permanent defense office in Rabat marks a new stage in its relationship with Morocco.
The two countries restored diplomatic relations in December 2020 and signed a defense agreement in November 2021. Their cooperation has continued through regional conflict and political pressure. A permanent office gives the relationship a direct point of contact for sustained military talks, training and purchases.
“Morocco is not just another defense partner. It is much more than that,” Baram said on November 10, pointing to trust, Jewish heritage and historical ties. Those connections matter, but the relationship is increasingly shaped by shared security interests.
A partnership backed by the palace
Morocco’s constitution names King Mohammed VI as Supreme Commander of the Royal Armed Forces. The communiqué on Baram’s visit said the meetings took place under “high royal instructions.” The wording signals that the partnership has backing at the highest level, not simply from individual officials.
Baram met Abdeltif Loudyi, responsible for the National Defense Administration, and Lieutenant General Mohammed Berrid, inspector general of the Royal Armed Forces and commander of the Southern Zone. They discussed training, equipment and closer cooperation. A joint defense committee first met there in January 2023.
Israel’s Defense Ministry also said Baram met unnamed officials from the Royal Palace and Morocco’s intelligence services. Their inclusion shows that the relationship reaches beyond public defense meetings and involves several parts of Morocco’s security establishment.
From buying weapons to making them
The next stage of the relationship may be as important in factories as in military offices. Morocco has long bought advanced equipment abroad. It is now trying to produce more at home, train local workers and develop companies that can supply its armed forces. Israeli firms are among its partners.
Israel’s Defense Ministry says most deals are handled directly between the two governments and that Israeli companies are helping Morocco develop its defense industry through joint projects and agreements supporting local investment. Not every purchase includes technology transfer or local production, but some deals are becoming part of a wider effort to build Moroccan skills and factories.
Not every purchase includes technology transfer or local production, but some deals are becoming part of a wider effort to build Moroccan skills and factories.
Reuters reported in October that Moroccan Military Industry plans to deliver locally made turrets for Morocco’s eight-wheeled armored vehicles from March 2027 and produce ammunition locally. Industry sources linked the company to Israel’s Elbit Systems and its technology, while the company describes itself as Moroccan. The distinction matters: this is Moroccan production, with reported Israeli technological links.
It was also reported that BlueBird Aero Systems, an Israel Aerospace Industries subsidiary, trained Moroccan technicians for a planned SpyX loitering-munition production project in Benslimane.
Morocco is also preparing space for more factories. On November 2, the company managing its defense industrial zones announced seven land agreements for projects in Nouaceur and Sidi Yahya, in two planned zones covering 675 hectares. The agreements are an early step toward attracting investment, not proof that factories are already operating.
For Israel, these projects support its defense industry and build lasting relationships. For Morocco, local production can reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and make equipment easier to maintain during a crisis. Both sides have reasons to continue.
Morocco’s wider military buildup
The industrial push is part of a wider military buildup. Morocco’s draft 2027 budget puts planned defense spending at about 76.4 billion dirhams, up roughly 4.7 percent. It also allows the defense administration to sign contracts worth up to 190.5 billion dirhams during 2027, with payments expected from the 2028 budget. That is a ceiling for future commitments, not money being spent in 2027.
Morocco is not replacing its American and European partnerships with Israel. It is adding Israeli equipment and expertise to a policy that relies heavily on Western suppliers. In April 2026, Washington and Rabat signed a military cooperation plan for 2026 to 2036.
Such rules help build trust, although public statements do not establish that the two countries share specific intelligence tools or classified cyber capabilities.
The American connection is visible in recent deliveries. On October 26, Morocco received six Apache attack helicopters, bringing its delivered fleet to 19 of 24 ordered. The delivery followed an October 16 visit by a US congressional delegation led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers. Morocco also operates Israeli systems, including the Barak MX air-defense system and Heron drones. Their presence alongside American aircraft does not mean the systems are connected, but a permanent Israeli office can help officials coordinate training, maintenance and future purchases.
The partnership also covers the protection of secret military information, cybersecurity and staff training. Such rules help build trust, although public statements do not establish that the two countries share specific intelligence tools or classified cyber capabilities.
Why Algeria is watching
The relationship has consequences beyond Rabat and Jerusalem. Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021, citing security cooperation with Israel among its grievances. The neighbors also disagree over Western Sahara and follow different defense policies. Algeria relies heavily on Russian weapons and maintains ties with Iran. Morocco works with the United States and Europe while expanding ties with Israel.
Western Sahara is central to the rivalry. General Berrid commands Moroccan forces in the Southern Zone, near the desert berm, a long sand barrier separating areas controlled by Morocco from territory held by the Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara. The United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty in 2020, followed by Israel in 2023 and France in 2024. Spain supports Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute, but has not made the same formal recognition.
Israeli drones, radar and air-defense systems could help Morocco monitor remote areas, but their precise deployment in Western Sahara has not been made public. Not every Israeli system bought by Morocco should be assumed to operate near the berm. Better surveillance and air defense could nevertheless matter to a country defending long borders and sensitive territory.
The domestic test
The policy faces a challenge at home. The 2025 Arab Opinion Index found that 89 percent of surveyed Moroccans opposed recognition of Israel, while 6 percent supported it. Fieldwork took place between November 2024 and August 2025. On September 27, 2026, demonstrations against normalization were reported in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and other cities.
This gap between state policy and public opinion is central. The palace has continued security cooperation with Israel, while many Moroccans oppose normalization, particularly because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The partnership should not be mistaken for broad public support.
Morocco’s decision to deepen defense cooperation despite public opposition suggests that its leadership sees security and industrial benefits in the partnership.
Historical ties also give the relationship a social dimension. Estimates put the number of Israelis with Moroccan family origins between 750,000 and one million. This differs from the roughly 160,000 Moroccan-born Jewish migrants counted by Pew Research Center in Israel in 2020. Morocco’s 2011 Constitution recognizes the country’s Hebraic heritage, and a royal restoration effort has renewed more than 170 Jewish cemeteries and about 20 shrines of Jewish saints.
These links do not erase political disagreements or guarantee public acceptance. They do give the relationship a deeper history than a simple arms trade.
This matters in Jerusalem as well as Rabat. A relationship built through royal decisions and defense contracts can advance quickly, but public anger can constrain it when regional violence intensifies. The new office gives the relationship continuity; it does not remove the political cost of closeness to Israel.
Morocco’s decision to deepen defense cooperation despite public opposition suggests that its leadership sees security and industrial benefits in the partnership. For Israel, a permanent office creates a steadier channel into North Africa. For Morocco, cooperation adds another source of equipment and expertise as it builds its own industry. For Algeria, it shows that its western neighbor is widening its strategic choices.
The new office will not change North Africa’s balance of power by itself. But it makes the partnership more permanent and easier to expand. That is why Algeria is watching.
Published originally on November 10, 2026.
