Morocco was the fourth country to join the Abraham Accords with Israel. The two countries announced the normalization of relations in December 2020.
By TPS
A bilateral agreement for energy cooperation between Israel and Morocco was signed on Thursday at Bar-Ilan University in the presence of Israeli Minister of Education Dr. Yifat Shasha-Biton, Head of the Liaison Office of the Kingdom of Morocco to the State of Israel Abderrahim Beyyoudh, a Morrocan delegation of senior officials and scientists, leading Israeli scientists from several universities, Israel Aerospace Industries Chairman of the Board Amir Peretz, and senior Israeli energy company officials.
The Israel-Morocco agreement for energy cooperation was signed between Mohammad VI Polytechnic University in the name of the Moroccan National Energy Transition Consortium (MNETC), which includes 20 research groups from various Moroccan universities, and the Israel National Energy Research Consortium (INERC), which includes 33 research groups from seven leading Israeli academic institutions.
Under the agreement, bilateral joint research will be conducted in the areas of rechargeable batteries, recycling, solar energy, and the hydrogen economy, as well as solving Morocco’s major challenge of storing and transporting its energy to neighboring countries.
Morocco has set a goal of producing 52% of its electricity through renewable energy by 2030.
Scientists from Bar-Ilan, Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion and Ariel Universities, The Hebrew University, the Technion and the Weizmann Institute of Science participated in the signing ceremony.
Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Arie Zaban stated that “energy is by far the biggest challenge we are facing. Energy can be a tool for peace. This is why we’re here today. We will do excellent science, we will develop excellent solutions, we will push this field forward, we will generate clean air for humanity, and we will generate peace.”
Minister of Education Dr. Yifat Shasha-Biton said that “this is a gathering of hope and future – hope to make an impact on the world by taking collaborative responsibility for a better future. Under the agreement signed a binational program will be established. As part of this collaboration, top-tier scientists and researchers will come together to provide solutions for issues of green energy for a better future for the fast-paced world we live in. This is a historical stepping stone for research programs, projects and constructive collaboration between the states.”
Head of the Liaison Office of the Kingdom of Morocco to the State of Israel Abderrahim Beyyoudh noted that “these kinds of collaboration are a way to strengthen relations between our countries. Work as scientists will not be confined to the two countries. Research has no limits and it can spread to surrounding countries for the benefit of our populations and other populations. I know you will open doors for many projects that we will initiate between the two countries.”
Hisham El-Habti, President, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, said “it is very exciting to see the Moroccan flag here at Bar-Ilan University. I speak on behalf of all the Moroccan research institutions working in this consortium to solve the renewable energy challenge. This is a wonderful way to strengthen the relationship between the two countries, with a benefit for everyone.”
Morocco was the fourth country to join the Abraham Accords with Israel. The two countries announced the normalization of relations in December 2020.
The United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain shortly after it, announced in August 2020 the normalization of relations with Israel.
Sudan was next to announce the normalization of relations with Israel in October, Israel’s third peace treaty in two months.
The Abraham Accords, the first pact between an Arab country and Israel in 25 years, is expected to lead to similar agreements with other Arab countries, possibly Oman or Saudi Arabia.