BREAKING: Israel and Morocco to normalize relations under Trump-brokered deal

Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize diplomatic relations after the United States brokered a deal between the two countries, Reuters reports.

The historic deal is the fourth normalization agreement between the Jewish state and an Arab country brokered by the Trump administration in the past year. Israel signed normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in August in an historic event dubbed the "Abraham Accords." Since then, the post-dictatorial nation of Sudan has also agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

The deal was struck during a phone conversation between President Donald Trump and Moroccan King Mohammed VI. Morocco will establish full diplomatic relations with Israel, allow for direct flights, and resume economic relations which were severed between the two countries in 2000.

"They are going reopen their liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv immediately with the intention to open embassies. And they are going to promote economic cooperation between Israeli and Moroccan companies," said Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and advisor.

According to the terms of the deal, the United States will also recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, territory occupied by Morocco since the 1970s after Spain decolonized the region. Most of the territory is under the direct control of Morocco while the eastern regions are controlled by an Algerian-backed rebel group seeking to establish an independent state known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Morocco has long faced allegations of human rights abuses in the territory.

While many Arab states have had a troubled history with their Jewish communities, especially since the turn of the 20th century, Morocco has been unique for its relative tolerance of their Jewish minority. While most Moroccan Jews have since moved to Canada, the United States, and Israel, Morocco boasted the largest Jewish community in the Islamic world of over 250,000 people in 1948. During the Second World War, Morocco's reigning monarch actively resisted measures taken by the German puppet government of Vichy France to persecute and deport the nation's Jews.

"Through this historic step, Morocco is building on its longstanding bond with the Moroccan Jewish community living in Morocco and throughout the world, including in Israel. This is a significant step forward for the people of Israel and Morocco," Kushner also stated.

Kushner also argued that the deal "further enhances Israel’s security, while creating opportunities for Morocco and Israel to deepen their economic ties and improve the lives of their people."

With President Trump likely to leave office on Jan. 20, the future of Arab-Israeli diplomacy has fallen into question as the incoming Biden administration signals a departure from the President's "America First" foreign policy. Biden has insisted, however, that his administration will continue seeking peace between Israel and her Arab neighbours.