WASHINGTON: A senior U.S.-Israeli delegation will travel to Morocco nextTuesday to begin talks on resuming diplomatic relations between Israel andMorocco, traveling on the first-ever direct flight of an Israeli airlinefrom Tel Aviv to Rabat, U.S. officials told me.
Why it matters: The trip will take place 10 days after President Trumpannounced that the U.S. would recognize Western Sahara as part of Morocco,a historic and controversial decision that paved the way for Morocco tobegin the process of normalizing diplomatic ties with Israel.
Between the lines: The reason the trip is happening so quickly after theannouncement is so that the Trump administration can ensure the processstarts moving before Jan. 20, out of concern the Biden administration mightroll back some of Trump’s policy moves.
Details: The delegation will be headed by White House senior adviser JaredKushner and Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben Shabbat.
The delegation will also include White House envoy Avi Berkowitz,International Development Finance Corporation CEO Adam Boehler, and seniorIsraeli officials from different government ministries.
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Kushner and his team will arrive in Israel on Monday and hold meetings withPrime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Foreign MinisterGabi Ashkenazi. They will travel the next day to Rabat on Flight No. 212 —the international calling code of Morocco.
Courtesy: (Axios)
