Top Moroccan lawmaker delays scheduled visit to Israel due to illness

By Khaled Majdoub

RABAT, Morocco (AA) - The chairman of Morocco’s House of Councillors, the country's senate, delayed his visit to Israel due to a health emergency, the Knesset (Israel's parliament) said late on Wednesday.

Enaam Mayara's first-ever visit to Israel was scheduled to start on Thursday upon an invitation by the Knesset Speaker.

The statement also said that the Moroccan top Senate was admitted to a hospital in Jordan due to illness, forcing him to cancel his visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

"I’m saddened to be prevented from arriving at the Knesset," the Knesset's statement quoted Mayara as saying.

Mayara's trip to Israel was to be considered the highest Moroccan official to visit Israel since both countries normalized relations in December 2020.

Early in June, Israeli Knesset Speaker made his first-ever visit to Morocco in which he met with top Moroccan officials and the leaders of the local Jewish community.

Morocco became the fourth Arab country to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, bringing the total Arab countries that have ties with Israel to six as Egypt and Jordan had already ties in 1979 and 1994 respectively.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar