Morocco normalization talk is Israeli spin, State Dept. says
The comment came following persistent reports in Israel that Jerusalem is very close to establishing official ties with Rabat, attributed to anonymous sources.
By LAHAV HARKOVSecretary of State Mike Pompeo(photo credit: REUTERS)US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not discuss normalization with Israel in his meetings with the Moroccan government, senior State Department officials said on Thursday.
“It wasn’t a topic of discussion,” the official said in a press briefing following Pompeo’s visit to Rabat.
The official said he read about normalization in Israeli media, “and it struck me as just another Israeli leak to the press of their own issue. But it was coincident with our trip, but it wasn’t on our agenda.”
The comment came following persistent reports in Israel that Jerusalem is very close to establishing official ties with Rabat, attributed to anonymous sources.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat refused to answer questions on the matter during a press briefing in Lisbon, where the premier met with Pompeo a day earlier.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Army Radio early in the week that an Israeli delegation to Washington was promoting a non-belligerence pact with Morocco, UAE, Bahrain and Oman.
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