So what if the Israeli-Moroccan normalization agreement is not officially part of the Abraham Accords? In practice, the deal is no different. Ties between Rabat and Jerusalem were renewed within the same window of opportunity that opened up in September 2020.
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A particularly fascinating outcome of the agreement is the Muslim Moroccans' interest to learn Hebrew.
"We receive a lot of inquiries about Hebrew courses from individuals who want to learn the language, simply because Moroccans love languages and are known polyglots," said Einat Levi, a political and economic consultant at Israel's diplomatic mission in Rabat. "Business owners and service providers also express interest in learning Hebrew, because they understand that there is an economic opportunity for them" in Israel.
One can also see more signs in Hebrew across the markets and old cities of Morocco put up by local residents and shop vendors who are excited about the return of Israeli tourists.
In the Jewish quarter of the port city of Essaouira, which used to boast a thriving Jewish community, the local pharmacy now also displays a sign in Hebrew.
"The sign in Hebrew is a symbol of cultural renewal, invitation, and testimony to the close connection between culture and tourism, and more than that – it has an assertion of belonging," Levi said.
Tourism forecasts predict that hundreds of thousands of Israelis will visit Morocco each year, and expect Moroccan tourists to do the same in Israel. As such, Rabat is planning to launch Hebrew-learning courses for local tour guides as well as a new master's degree program at the International Institute of Tourism of Tangiers that would combine studies of Hebrew and Jewish heritage sites in Morocco.
Another interesting development is that Moroccan King Mohamed VI's coronation day in July was marked in Israel for the first time this year, in Yokneam, Acre, Netanya, Dimona, and elsewhere.
And although in the past, Israelis had no problem traveling to Morocco, and were even welcomed, when it came to official events – such as festivals and conferences – organizers were discouraged from inviting Israelis due to fear of criticism from the public and anti-Israel groups.
"Now the situation is different," Levi said. "There is a strong and clear official connection, and it makes it easier to conduct open and public Israeli activity in Morocco. This allows many Israelis of Moroccan descent to feel more complete."
Eyal Biram, CEO of Israel-is – an organization that connects young Israelis with millennials from around the world in order to converse with them about Israel, and to fight antisemitism – noted that "when we signed the Abraham Accords, Morocco was a little bit different than the project we conducted in the United Arab Emirates.
"The goal of the project, which we partnered in, is to bring young people from the Arab world to Israel, and it would not have been possible to do it without the Jewish angle. Morocco is an expression of the new-old Israeli story. From the aspiration of [becoming a] melting pot, we moved to the desire of many young Israelis to embrace their identities and cultures and formulate a new-old story for themselves."
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