Moroccan senate president delays historic journey to Israel on account of sickness and says he’ll return

JERUSALEM — Morocco’s senate president has postponed a historic go to to Israel on account of a medical emergency, the Israeli parliament introduced Wednesday.

The announcement got here only a day earlier than Enaam Mayara was scheduled to go to Israel’s Knesset, or parliament, on a visit geared toward cementing the fledgling ties between the 2 nations.

Mayara was to be the primary Moroccan official and one of many few Muslim leaders ever to set foot within the Knesset. The parliament had deliberate to greet him with a pink carpet and a ceremonial guard of honor.

Israel and Morocco absolutely normalized relations as a part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, a collection of diplomatic agreements between Israel and 4 Arab nations brokered by then-President Donald Trump.

The Knesset issued an announcement late Wednesday saying that Mayara had been hospitalized throughout a cease in neighboring Jordan. He was compelled to reschedule his Israel journey and name off a go to earlier within the day to the Palestinian authorities within the West Bank, the assertion mentioned.

“I am sorry that because of a medical emergency, I am unable to come to the Knesset,” the assertion quoted Mayara as saying. It gave no particulars on the character of his sickness however mentioned he would return to Morocco.

“The connection between the kingdom of Morocco and the state of Israel is a shared interest of the two countries, and together we will deepen it,” he added.

Israel’s Knesset speaker Amir Ohana, who visited Morocco earlier this 12 months, mentioned Mayara’s go to was speculated to be a spotlight of the brand new relations. He mentioned Israel wished Mayara “a speedy and full recovery.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed curiosity in increasing the Abraham Accords to herald further Arab and Muslim nations, most notably Saudi Arabia. But relations with Israel’s Arab companions have cooled as a result of remedy of Palestinians by Netanyahu’s far-right authorities.

The authorities is dominated by ultranationalist politicians who oppose Palestinian independence and have promoted settlement development within the occupied West Bank. Morocco delayed a summit of Israel and its Abraham Accord companions earlier this 12 months as a result of political local weather.

Still, Israel’s relations with Morocco seem robust.