A delegation of Moroccan diplomats arrived in Israel on Sunday night to begin the process of re-opening a liaison office in Tel Aviv next month.

Israel and Morocco committed to reopening liaison offices in each other’s countries within two to three weeks during meetings last week in Rabat. The offices have been closed for about 20 years after Morocco cut off ties with Israel during the Second Intifada.

It was the first Moroccan delegation to arrive in Israel since the normalization deal between the two countries was announced.

The members of the delegation are holding several meetings with Israel’s Foreign Ministry over the next days in preparation for the arrival of a high-level delegation next month.

On Friday, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ spoke to Moroccan King Mohammed VI by phone and invited him to visit Israel.

“It was a very warm, exciting conversation held in my not very good Arabic, Hebrew, his excellent French and my English,” Netanyahu said.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)