IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi held a joint prayer at the Slat al-Azama Great Synagogue of Marrakesh on Wednesday as part of his visit to the Jewish community in Morocco.
Kohavi met with members of the Moroccan Jewish community – some of whom immigrated to Israel in the early 1970s, fought in the Yom Kippur War and then returned.
The IDF chief congratulated the community and thanked them for their contribution to the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora. "I am proud and excited to meet you… your part in our fight for the State of Israel, and today you are working here for the Jewish community and to deepen ties with Israel," Kohavi declared.
He later met Col.-Maj. Hassan Mahwar at the Moroccan "Ben Gueier" air force base, where they reviewed pertinent issues and discussed cooperation between the two militaries’ air forces.
"I am proud and excited to be in the place where one of the most significant communities in the Jewish people and in the deep connection with the State of Israel was formed and developed," Kohavi said.
Israel-Morocco relations
Morocco – the former home of nearly 500,000 Jews who have since emigrated to Israel – decided to normalize relations with the Jewish state in late 2020, amid the backdrop of the Abraham Accords. After decades of not recognizing or dealing with Israel, Rabat and Jerusalem have since collaborated on projects related to technology, defense, business and other important fields.