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Moroccan-Israel Normalization Deal Has The Impact of Tsunami

Published December 13th, 2020 - 07:02 GMT

Morocco this week became the fourth Arab nation since August to announce a US-brokered deal to normalise relations with Israel, following the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

Morocco confirmed the deal, saying King Mohammed VI had told outgoing US President Donald Trump his country had agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay".

Jewish history and culture in Morocco will soon be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. The decision to add Jewish history and culture to lessons was discreetly launched before the diplomatic deal was announced. Part of an ongoing revamp of Morocco's school curriculum since 2014, the lessons will be included from next term for children in their final year of primary school, aged 11, the education ministry said.

Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492.
 

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In this file photo taken on October 13, 2017, Moroccan Jews and Israeli Jewish tourists participate in a religious ceremony to observe the holiday of Sukkot (the Feast of the Tabernacles) at a synagogue in the "Mellah" Jewish quarter of the Medina in Marrakesh. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over

In this file photo taken on October 13, 2017, Moroccan Jews and Israeli Jewish tourists participate in a religious ceremony to observe the holiday of Sukkot (the Feast of the Tabernacles) at a synagogue in the "Mellah" Jewish quarter of the Medina in Marrakesh. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. FADEL SENNA / AFP

In this file photo taken on March 6, 2015, Fanny Mergui, a Moroccan Jewish woman, meditates as she visits Casablanca's Moroccan Jewish museum. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. Fadel SENNA

In this file photo taken on March 6, 2015, Fanny Mergui, a Moroccan Jewish woman, meditates as she visits Casablanca's Moroccan Jewish museum. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. Fadel SENNA / AFP

In this file photo taken on December 14, 2019, Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the "Bayt Dakira" (House of Memory) Jewish museum, in Morocco's Atlantic coastal city of Essaouira on December 14, 2019. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularl

In this file photo taken on December 14, 2019, Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the "Bayt Dakira" (House of Memory) Jewish museum, in Morocco's Atlantic coastal city of Essaouira on December 14, 2019. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. FADEL SENNA / AFP

This picture taken on December 11, 2020 in Jerusalem shows Israeli newspapers' front page titles about the announcement that Israel is to establish diplomatic relations with Morocco. Outgoing President Donald Trump's double announcement of a normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has prompted mixed reactions. In a statement by the royal palace, Morocco's King Mohammed VI confirmed on December 10 that his country would "resume official

This picture taken on December 11, 2020 in Jerusalem shows Israeli newspapers' front page titles about the announcement that Israel is to establish diplomatic relations with Morocco. Outgoing President Donald Trump's double announcement of a normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has prompted mixed reactions. In a statement by the royal palace, Morocco's King Mohammed VI confirmed on December 10 that his country would "resume official contacts.... and diplomatic relations with minimal delay" with Israel, two decades after the two countries closed liaison offices. AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP

Moroccan Jewish and Muslim men queue in front of the kosher bakery 'Madame Khal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP

Moroccan Jewish and Muslim men queue in front of the kosher bakery 'Madame Khal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP

A Moroccan Jewish man chooses cold cuts at a kosher butcher shop 'Amsellem' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP

A Moroccan Jewish man chooses cold cuts at a kosher butcher shop 'Amsellem' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP

Morocco's King Mohammed VI is seen at Essaouira's 'House of Memory' in January 2020 in a photo provided by the Moroccan Royal Palace (AFP)

Morocco's King Mohammed VI is seen at Essaouira's 'House of Memory' in January 2020 in a photo provided by the Moroccan Royal Palace

A Moroccan Jewish woman (R) fills bags with pastries to serve customers at the kosher bakery 'Madame Fhal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA

A Moroccan Jewish woman (R) fills bags with pastries to serve customers at the kosher bakery 'Madame Fhal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP

This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. Morocco confirmed on December 10, 2020 it would resume diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay" and lauded as "historic" a decision by Washington to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region. JACK GUEZ, Jody AMIET / AFP

This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. Morocco confirmed on December 10, 2020 it would resume diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay" and lauded as "historic" a decision by Washington to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region. JACK GUEZ, Jody AMIET / AFP

In this file photo taken on October 13, 2017, Moroccan Jews and Israeli Jewish tourists participate in a religious ceremony to observe the holiday of Sukkot (the Feast of the Tabernacles) at a synagogue in the "Mellah" Jewish quarter of the Medina in Marrakesh. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over
In this file photo taken on March 6, 2015, Fanny Mergui, a Moroccan Jewish woman, meditates as she visits Casablanca's Moroccan Jewish museum. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. Fadel SENNA
In this file photo taken on December 14, 2019, Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the "Bayt Dakira" (House of Memory) Jewish museum, in Morocco's Atlantic coastal city of Essaouira on December 14, 2019. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularl
This picture taken on December 11, 2020 in Jerusalem shows Israeli newspapers' front page titles about the announcement that Israel is to establish diplomatic relations with Morocco. Outgoing President Donald Trump's double announcement of a normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has prompted mixed reactions. In a statement by the royal palace, Morocco's King Mohammed VI confirmed on December 10 that his country would "resume official
Moroccan Jewish and Muslim men queue in front of the kosher bakery 'Madame Khal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
A Moroccan Jewish man chooses cold cuts at a kosher butcher shop 'Amsellem' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
Morocco's King Mohammed VI is seen at Essaouira's 'House of Memory' in January 2020 in a photo provided by the Moroccan Royal Palace (AFP)
A Moroccan Jewish woman (R) fills bags with pastries to serve customers at the kosher bakery 'Madame Fhal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA
This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. Morocco confirmed on December 10, 2020 it would resume diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay" and lauded as "historic" a decision by Washington to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region. JACK GUEZ, Jody AMIET / AFP
In this file photo taken on October 13, 2017, Moroccan Jews and Israeli Jewish tourists participate in a religious ceremony to observe the holiday of Sukkot (the Feast of the Tabernacles) at a synagogue in the "Mellah" Jewish quarter of the Medina in Marrakesh. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over
In this file photo taken on October 13, 2017, Moroccan Jews and Israeli Jewish tourists participate in a religious ceremony to observe the holiday of Sukkot (the Feast of the Tabernacles) at a synagogue in the "Mellah" Jewish quarter of the Medina in Marrakesh. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. FADEL SENNA / AFP
In this file photo taken on March 6, 2015, Fanny Mergui, a Moroccan Jewish woman, meditates as she visits Casablanca's Moroccan Jewish museum. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. Fadel SENNA
In this file photo taken on March 6, 2015, Fanny Mergui, a Moroccan Jewish woman, meditates as she visits Casablanca's Moroccan Jewish museum. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. Fadel SENNA / AFP
In this file photo taken on December 14, 2019, Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the "Bayt Dakira" (House of Memory) Jewish museum, in Morocco's Atlantic coastal city of Essaouira on December 14, 2019. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularl
In this file photo taken on December 14, 2019, Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the "Bayt Dakira" (House of Memory) Jewish museum, in Morocco's Atlantic coastal city of Essaouira on December 14, 2019. Jewish history and culture in Morocco will now be part of the school curriculum -- a "first" in the region and in the North African country, where Islam is the state religion. Morocco's Jewish community has been present since antiquity and grew over the centuries, particularly with the arrival of Jews expelled from Spain by the Catholic kings after 1492. FADEL SENNA / AFP
This picture taken on December 11, 2020 in Jerusalem shows Israeli newspapers' front page titles about the announcement that Israel is to establish diplomatic relations with Morocco. Outgoing President Donald Trump's double announcement of a normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has prompted mixed reactions. In a statement by the royal palace, Morocco's King Mohammed VI confirmed on December 10 that his country would "resume official
This picture taken on December 11, 2020 in Jerusalem shows Israeli newspapers' front page titles about the announcement that Israel is to establish diplomatic relations with Morocco. Outgoing President Donald Trump's double announcement of a normalisation of ties between Morocco and Israel and US recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has prompted mixed reactions. In a statement by the royal palace, Morocco's King Mohammed VI confirmed on December 10 that his country would "resume official contacts.... and diplomatic relations with minimal delay" with Israel, two decades after the two countries closed liaison offices. AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP
Moroccan Jewish and Muslim men queue in front of the kosher bakery 'Madame Khal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
Moroccan Jewish and Muslim men queue in front of the kosher bakery 'Madame Khal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
A Moroccan Jewish man chooses cold cuts at a kosher butcher shop 'Amsellem' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
A Moroccan Jewish man chooses cold cuts at a kosher butcher shop 'Amsellem' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
Morocco's King Mohammed VI is seen at Essaouira's 'House of Memory' in January 2020 in a photo provided by the Moroccan Royal Palace (AFP)
Morocco's King Mohammed VI is seen at Essaouira's 'House of Memory' in January 2020 in a photo provided by the Moroccan Royal Palace
A Moroccan Jewish woman (R) fills bags with pastries to serve customers at the kosher bakery 'Madame Fhal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA
A Moroccan Jewish woman (R) fills bags with pastries to serve customers at the kosher bakery 'Madame Fhal' in the western Moroccan port city of Casablanca, on December 11, 2020 After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to commit to establishing diplomatic relations with the Israel. In the 1950s and 60s, Jews from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco migrated to the Jewish state, where key posts were in the hands of Ashkenazi Jews, who hail from Europe. FADEL SENNA / AFP
This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. Morocco confirmed on December 10, 2020 it would resume diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay" and lauded as "historic" a decision by Washington to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region. JACK GUEZ, Jody AMIET / AFP
This combination of file pictures created on December 10, 2020 shows a Moroccan flag off the coasts of the city of Cayenne on March 21, 2012 and an Israeli national flag on September 23, 2020. Morocco confirmed on December 10, 2020 it would resume diplomatic relations with Israel "with minimal delay" and lauded as "historic" a decision by Washington to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region. JACK GUEZ, Jody AMIET / AFP

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