Morocco thwarts Israel/UAE plan to evacuate their citizens

We may never know the reason why this evacuation plan never 'got off the ground' - relations between Morocco and the UAE have been tense, with Morocco seeking closer ties with the UAE's regional rival, Qatar - but it shows unprecedented cooperation between the UAE and Israel. Middle East Monitor reports:

Mohamed V airport, Casablanca

Morocco has prevented a joint Israeli-Emirati plan to evacuate Jews holding Israeli citizenship from leaving, on the pretext of the spread of the coronavirus, Israeli Army Radio reported on Thursday.

 Morocco initially agreed to evacuate its Jews to Israel, but the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later contacted Israel to evacuate them on a plane with Emirati citizens, which Israel agreed on.

 However, Morocco thwarted the plan because it was not informed about the details. The Israelis were planned to land in the country during the Passover holiday, which ended on Wednesday.

 Israel has faced difficulty transporting Moroccan Jews to it directly, because El Al Israel Airlines are prohibited from entering Morocco, but the UAE initiated contact with Israel to offer to transport them on its airplane.

Read article in full