Kushner flies on first commercial flight between Israel and Morocco

Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner this week flew aboard the first direct commercial flight from Israel to Morocco, marking the latest opening of relations between Israel, the Middle East and North African countries.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Kushner and a delegation of White House and Israeli officials signed diplomatic and economic agreements with Moroccan leaders in Morocco’s capital Rabat following Tuesday’s flight.

The new ties between Morocco and Israel follow other diplomatic relations that have been brokered by the Trump administration this year.

“It is now time to put the region and all of its people on a truly transformative patch toward stability, security and prosperity,” Kushner, who is also President Trump’s son-in-law, said after meeting with King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

The deal included an agreement from Trump to recognize Morocco’s disputed claim on Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony that Morocco attempted to annex more than 40 years ago.

Avi Berkowitz, assistant to Trump and special representative for international negotiations, tweeted a photo of the meeting between Kushner, King Mohammed and Meir Ben Shabbat, Israel’s national security adviser.

With HM the King of Morocco, Jared Kushner, Meir Ben Shabbat, and ⁦@AdamUSDFC⁩ pic.twitter.com/vpm0xrw6cN

— Avi Berkowitz (@aviberkow45) December 23, 2020

Moroccan officials downplayed the event, saying they were simply reestablishing low-level diplomatic relations the country had with Israel before 2000, the Journal reported.

The United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Bahrain all agreed to establish diplomatic ties with Israel earlier this year.

Kushner was also part of a delegation on the first commercial flight from Israel to the United Arab Emirates.

Kushner reportedly wants to establish a similar deal with Qatar as well as normalize between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman reportedly took place during a secret meeting but failed to result in a diplomatic agreement.