Restoration works are underway in the Israeli and Moroccan liaison offices in preparation for their official opening by the end of January, according to diplomatic sources in Israel.
The opening of the offices will also lead to the official resumption of diplomatic relations between Tel Aviv and Rabat.
The sources stated that a delegation of Moroccan technicians arrived in Tel Aviv to supervise the restorations, and they also obtained special permits to work at night.
Following the US initiative to resume relations between the two countries last month, a Moroccan delegation arrived in Tel Aviv to reopen the liaison office.
The Moroccan office has been abandoned for 20 years and requires major restorations. It is located on Yarkon Street in Tel Aviv, which also contains headquarters of many foreign embassies, such as the US, British, Turkish, and French.
The team began renovating the building and improving its facilities, in a building of four floors, with a total area of 600 square meters.
It once served as the headquarter of the Belgian Embassy in Israel, and the Moroccan government acquired it in the early 2000s when it decided to develop and expand its scope of work.
Rabat preserved the Tel Aviv office even after severing ties in 2000 when the second intifada broke out.
The Israeli authorities approved a Moroccan request to build a guard post at the entrance of the building.
The renovations are an indication that Morocco wants to use the building, even if the decision was made to have bilateral relations at the level of embassies.
Israeli sources indicated that Morocco does not oppose establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel.
However, Rabat is waiting for the US President-elect, Joe Biden, to announce his position on the recognition of Morocco's sovereignty in Western Sahara, the reason behind the resumption of Moroccan-Israeli relations.
Israel has also kept its diplomatic offices in Rabat for twenty years, and Moroccan authorities placed policemen to guard them.
The restoration of the building began last week, as a technical team arrived there to supervise the works, praising the Moroccan authorities’ assistance.
Israel has reportedly appointed its former ambassador to Egypt David Goffrin as the temporary head of the Israeli diplomatic representation in Morocco.
On Monday, the official Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Goffrin will travel to Morocco soon. However, the foreign ministry has still not published an official statement regarding the appointment.
