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Israel and Morocco are taking a new step in their military cooperation with the construction of a military drone factory on Moroccan soil. This project, although ambitious, raises questions about the kingdom’s priorities in the face of a tense economic and social situation.
Strengthened military cooperation since 2020
The rapprochement between Israel and Morocco took a historic turning point in December 2020 with the normalization of their relations under the aegis of Donald Trump, then President of the United States. In exchange, Washington recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a decision that was widely controversial on the international scene.
One year later, in November 2021, a major step was taken with the signing of a security and military cooperation protocol during the historic visit of Benny Gantz, former Israeli Minister of Defense. This protocol included the manufacturing of weapons in Morocco, thus opening the way to strategic collaborations in military technologies.
A drone factory at the heart of the strategy
The project to build a military drone factory was initiated by BlueBird Aero Systemsan Israeli leader in military industries. In April 2024, the company’s CEO announced this project as a major step in Israeli-Moroccan cooperation.
Today, construction work is underway, as confirmed by Moroccan media Yabiladi.com. This production unit, supervised by Israeli experts, aims to manufacture drones intended for the local market and for export, particularly to Africa.
However, the project was slightly delayed due to the deadly war waged by Israel in Gaza since October 2023. Despite this context and the international arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity in Gaza, Morocco persists in its military cooperation with Israel.
A Moroccan ambition in the military industry
Morocco, through this project, demonstrates its ambition to become a key player in arms production. In November 2023, the Minister for Defense, Abdellatif Loudiyi, presented to Parliament a plan aimed at developing a national military industry, particularly in the field of drones.
In addition to this factory, the kingdom also signed in September 2023 a strategic partnership with the Indian Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) for the manufacture of a land combat vehicle. In July 2024, the Moroccan government invested nearly 1 billion dollars to acquire an Israeli spy satellite.
A high cost in a fragile economic context
These military ambitions, while impressive, have drawn criticism because of their impact on an already fragile Moroccan economy. In 2024, the unemployment rate reached 21%according to data from the High Commission for Planning. This situation contrasts with the kingdom’s increasing spending in the military sector, seen by some as an imbalance of priorities.
A complex geopolitical issue
As Morocco strives to become a major player in the military industry, this partnership with Israel illustrates the profound geopolitical changes in the region. However, the pursuit of such projects in a difficult economic and social context could raise questions about their sustainability and their acceptability among the Moroccan population.
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Abdellatif Loudiyi, Benjamin Netanyahu, BlueBird Aero Systems, unemployment, military cooperation, military drones, Moroccan economy, geopolitics, military industry, Israel, MOROCCO, Western Sahara, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, Tunisia rent
