Israel and Morocco announced on Wednesday that they will upgrade their diplomatic missions to the level of full embassies and exchange ambassadors, marking a significant step in the Abraham Accords normalization framework nearly six years after Morocco joined the U.S.-brokered initiative.
The agreement was finalized during a trilateral meeting in New York among U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, held one day after officials commemorated the sixth anniversary of the Abraham Accords.
The Abraham Accords, initially signed in 2020 by Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, were followed by Morocco’s separate U.S.-Morocco-Israel Joint Declaration in December 2020, which restored official contacts and set the stage for full diplomatic ties, direct flights, and expanded economic cooperation.
Israel’s Diplomatic Relations: Expanding Alliances Amid Regional Challenges
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and their delegations meet at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York on Sept. 16, 2026, for a trilateral summit focused on expanding Israel-Morocco relations. (Yuval Golan/ Israeli Foreign Ministry)
Under the new arrangement, Israel and Morocco will establish full embassies, exchange ambassadors, restore direct flights for both airlines by the end of 2026, and finalize agreements on investment protection and the avoidance of double taxation.
The two nations also pledged to deepen cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas, including trade, finance, technology, tourism, water management, agriculture, food security, energy, telecommunications and regional security, according to a joint statement released on September 16.
The statement further reinforced U.S. and Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and endorsed Morocco’s autonomy proposal as the foundation for resolving the long‑standing territorial dispute.
However, discussions extended beyond Morocco, exploring the possibility of enlarging the Abraham Accords framework to include Saudi Arabia.
When asked by Fox News Digital whether Saudi Arabia could become the next participant in the Abraham Accords—amid reports of growing Israeli‑Saudi security coordination against Iran‑backed Houthi forces—Waltz highlighted the threat posed by the Houthis to international shipping.
“The scourge of terrorism from them is unacceptable to the entire region,” Waltz said. “They continue to act as a proxy of the Iranian regime.”
Iran‑Backed Houthi Threatens Regional Energy Security
A satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea, as Iran threatens using Yemen’s Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. (Nasa Worldview/Handout via Reuters)
“You cannot attempt to punish the rest of the world to achieve a political end,” he added. “The oceans, trade, and international waterways must remain open.”
The remarks came as the Houthis have made significant advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline near the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait. A Reuters report on September 16 noted that the offensive has exposed new vulnerabilities for Saudi Arabia and increased Iran’s leverage in the region.
The 18‑mile‑wide Bab el‑Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and accounts for roughly 7 % of global oil output. Houthi attacks that began in 2023 forced major shipping firms to reroute vessels around Africa, driving up costs and transit times.
Trump Links Saudi Nuclear Deal to Abraham Accords Participation
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar meet at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in New York on Sept. 16, 2026, for a trilateral summit focused on expanding Israel-Morocco relations. (Efrat Lachter/ Fox News Digital)
Sa’ar emphasized that the dangers at Bab el‑Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz underscore the need for nations sharing common interests to cooperate.
“What’s happening in Bab al‑Mandab, like what’s happened in Strait of Hormuz, demonstrates the significance of all nations that want to respect freedom of navigation, world trade, and cooperate against this kind of modern piracy,” Sa’ar said.
He declined to provide details on any operational coordination involving Saudi Arabia but made clear that Israel seeks to broaden the Abraham Accords framework.
“It is clear that we would like this camp to be widened,” Sa’ar told Fox News Digital.
Trump Urges Arab Nations to Join Abraham Accords
Yemen’s Iran-backed armed Houthi group has warned they will move to shutter the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait through missile-drone attacks if Gulf nations join the US-Israel war on Iran. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
Bourita reflected on Morocco’s experience, noting that normalization with Israel has provided Arab governments with practical tools to assist Palestinians.
“We can help the Palestinians, humanitarianly, because we have these relations with Israel,” Bourita said.
During the Gaza conflict, Morocco leveraged its ties with Israel to secure a land route delivering 40 tons of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in March 2024. “Is it better to continue in the rhetorics, political positions, while sitting in our cities, our capitals, or take initiatives?” Bourita asked.
“We don’t agree with Israel 100 %. Each one may have its policy,” he said, adding that Morocco uses the “Abraham Accords spirit” to “promote peace” and “promote stability in the region.”
Bourita also highlighted Morocco’s involvement in Gaza stabilization efforts.
“I think it needs courage to contribute to peace,” he said, “and it’s easier to keep on making statements and engaging in rhetorics.”
Waltz echoed this perspective, commending Morocco’s humanitarian contributions and its role in post‑war reconstruction in Gaza.
Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability. She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events.
Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight‑Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in political science.
