In a first time, Morocco, Israel jointly celebrated Hanukkah

 Morocco and Israel recently marked the normalizing of their relations by celebrating the holiday of Hanukkah together. Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan and his Moroccan counterpart Omar Hilale attended a public event for the first time as they jointly lit the final candle and recited the Hanukkah blessings on Thursday. As per media reports, they were joined by the ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain during the final night of Hanukkah in view of the signing of the US-brokered Abraham Accord.

The Israeli Ambassador to the UN further stressed deepening ties between Morocco and Jewish people, adding that the Jewish community has found a home in Morocco for thousands of years and would continue to do so in the future.

At the same time, Morocco’s Ambassador to the US Lalla Joumala El Alaoui met her Israeli counterpart Ron Dermer in Washington. During the meeting, Ron Dermer gifted an ancient Hanukkah menorah to the Israeli ambassador, honoring their newly established ties.

The candle lighting event was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations along with the Forum for Cultural Diplomacy. Besides Israel, Morocco, UAE, and Bahrain, UN ambassadors from the United States, India, Australia, Guatemala, and Italy also participated in the event virtually among others by lighting a candle of the Hanukkah menorah from their specific remote locations.

Earlier this week, Morocco's Jewish community also celebrated the holiday of Hanukkah in line with the normalization of relations between Rabat and Tehran. The diplomatic breakthrough was seen as a 'Hanukkah miracle' during the ceremony marked by the participation of dozens of faithful and guests along with the US Ambassador to Rabat David Fischer.

In view of the breakthrough between the two countries, Israel's Israir Airlines had earlier announced its plan to launch 20 direct flights every week between Israel and Morocco in the coming months. The two countries signed the historic normalization deal on December 10 brokered by the United States. Responding to the development, US President Donald Trump hailed the moment as a "massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East."

With the signing of the Abraham Accords, the two countries have re-established their ties in terms of trade relations, beginning direct flights and liaison offices. Morocco was the fourth Arab nation, after the UAE, Bahrain, and Sudan, to establish better diplomatic ties with Israel in the past four months.