In a historic first, the Israeli and Moroccan basketball associations agreed on Thursday to sign a cooperation agreement during a Zoom conversation between the two parties.
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The deal will be signed at a special ceremony in Morocco in the spring and will constitute the first cooperation of its kind between Israel and an Arab nation. A symbolic basketball game will also take place.
The president and secretary-general of the Israel Basketball Association Amiram Halevy and Yaacov Ben Shoshan and former basketball players of Moroccan origin Shimon Amsalem and Eran Atiya participated in the Zoom call, as did President of Morocco's Basketball Association Moustafa Aourach and other Moroccan officials.
The agreement is expected to include professional, social, and educational ties, with Aourach having said one of Morocco's goals is to learn from Israeli basketball achievements.
"We are proud of the cooperation that has been forged between the two sides," Halevi said. "Sports in general, and basketball in particular, is a great way to bridge gaps and bring people together. We believe this cooperation will benefit both parties."
The Moroccan delegation said that Israeli basketball player Mohamed Abu Arisha, who has recently signed a contract to play for a team based in Morocco, will be invited to the ceremony in the spring.
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