Morocco Picks Israel’s Elbit Systems as Main Weapons Supplier as Abraham Accords Hold Strong

Elbit Systems. (Shutterstock) (Shutterstock)

Despite the war in Gaza, which has heightened tensions between Israel and much of the Arab world, economic and defense cooperation between Morocco and the Jewish state have remained strong.

By Ailin Vilches Arguello, The Algemeiner

Morocco has chosen an Israeli defense firm as its main weapons supplier, highlighting the resilience of the Abraham Accords amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The Moroccan army has signed a contract to purchase 36 Atmos 2000 self-propelled artillery systems from Israel’s Elbit Systems, according to French newspaper La Tribune. This marks the latest example of growing defense collaboration between the two countries.

Since 2020, as part of the Abraham Accords — a series of historic US-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries — defense and economic cooperation between Israel and Morocco has grown, alongside diplomatic ties with Sudan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

The new contract comes after rising tensions between the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) and the French company KNDS, a former key weapons supplier to Morocco.

With this new deal, Israel is now Morocco’s third-largest weapons supplier, accounting for 11 percent of its total arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Despite the war in Gaza, which has heightened tensions between Israel and much of the Arab world, economic and defense cooperation between Morocco and the Jewish state have remained strong.

Last year, Morocco signed a $1 billion deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to acquire an intelligence spy satellite from the Israeli defense company.

In 2023, trade between the two countries doubled to $116.7 million from $56.2 million in 2022. This marked the fastest growth among the Arab countries that established ties with the Jewish state in 2020, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan, according to the Abraham Accord Peace Institute (AAPI).

Although Morocco has normalized relations with Israel and strengthened economic and defense cooperation, the country’s leadership has expressed criticism of Israeli actions on several occasions.

Last week, Morocco joined other Arab countries around the world in opposing US President Donald Trump’s plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza, arguing that it would set a “dangerous precedent” and violate international humanitarian law.

At a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump proposed transferring ownership of Gaza to the United States, which would rebuild it by clearing debris and creating jobs.

He also claimed that this plan would bring stability to the region and suggested that Palestinians “should not go through a process of rebuilding,” but instead be relocated to other countries in the region, at least temporarily.

According to Israel’s Channel 12, Morocco is one of the countries being considered for Palestinian resettlement, along with Egypt, Jordan, Somalia, and Puntland in northern Somalia.