Israel and Morocco state comptrollers agree to cooperate

Israeli State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman and Moroccan Court of Audit First President Zineb El Adaoui met and agreed for their offices to cooperate during an official visit by Engelman to the North African country, the State Comptroller's Office said on Monday.

The Israeli and Moroccan auditing teams held two meetings in which they discussed auditing methodologies and practices.

Engelman had been invited by El Adaoui during the 2022 International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) conference in Brazil. During the 2023 visit, Engelman invited his Moroccan counterpart for a reciprocal visit to Israel.

With Engelman set to become the president of the European Organizations of Supreme Audit Institutions in ten months, he said that he hopes to promote the interests of both their institutions, including ensuring the government effectively addresses issues in the fields of environment, cyber and artificial intelligence.

"I believe I will be the only senior Israeli official at the head of a European organization," said Engelman. "Morocco is the closest country to Europe, and it is good that we are strengthening relations at the level of the countries' comptrollers."

Heritage from Morocco

Engelman emphasized the strong historical ties between the people of the two states, noting that Israeli Jews of Moroccan extraction were proud of their heritage, noting Mimouna celebrations and expressions of Moroccan culture in popular media.

"Morocco and Israel share mutual respect and common values," said Engelman. "Even before the State of Israel was established, Morocco was the country that took in many Jews who had to flee the murderous Inquisition regime that reigned in Spain and Portugal, starting in 1492. The Moroccan people and the Jews who lived and live in Morocco had good neighborly relations and respected each other's religions and way of life. To this day, Israelis of Moroccan origin longingly recall the King of Morocco and the good life they had here."

The exchange and strengthening of institutional ties between Israel and Morocco comes as the two states have taken multiple steps to enhance economic, diplomatic and military ties. Both countries participated in the African Lion 2023 military exercise. In June Knesset speaker Amir Ohana met with his parliamentary counterpart, and in the same month the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on environmental issues. Perhaps the most significant diplomatic overture in recent years was the Monday announcement that Israel had officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed West Sahara region.