Israel recalls envoy to Morocco amid probe into sexual and financial misconduct
Israel's foreign ministry has recalled its envoy in Morocco amid a probe into allegations of sexual and financial misconduct at the Israeli mission in Rabat.
David Govrin, the head of the Israeli mission in Rabat, was summoned on Tuesday following complaints made by former employees whom Govrin had fired in separate incidents, according to a report by Israel's Ynet news site.
The decision to recall Govrin, who had only returned to Morocco on Monday having been in Israel to answer questions about the allegations, was made by Alon Ushpiz, the Israeli foreign ministry's director general.
It followed an initial probe undertaken by a senior Israeli delegation, headed by Ministry Inspector General Hagay Behar, who arrived in Rabat last week to question staff at the mission.
At the heart of the probe is an allegation that a senior official at the Israeli mission in Rabat had sexually exploited women from the local community.
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The 58-year-old Govrin is considered a skilled diplomat who speaks fluent Arabic and served as Israel's ambassador to Egypt from 2016 to 2000.
He has been attached to the foreign ministry since 1989.
Relations between Morocco and Israel have been growing since the two countries signed a US-sponsored deal to normalise their ties in late 2020.
Israel opened a diplomatic mission in August 2021 and the two countries signed a deal last month to build a permanent Israeli embassy in Morocco.
Israeli media reported that officials fear the allegations could lead to a diplomatic crisis with Morocco.
'At each other's throats'
An official at Israel's foreign ministry described a public feeling of chaos at the mission in Rabat and that "everyone is at each other's throats", according to Ynet.
The ministry is also probing sexual harassment complaints within the mission, along with financial and administrative misconduct.
Israel's Haaretz newspaper said Govrin was suspected of failing to report an expensive gift he received from the Moroccan royal family on Israel's Independence Day.
The gift has vanished with no record, though it should have been registered and given back to the government.
The investigation also involves a rivalry between Govrin and the mission's security officer, along with claims Govrin allowed Samy Cohen, a local community leader and a friend of Govrin, to host top Israeli ministers, including Yair Lapid, Ayelet Shaked and Gideon Saar, on visits to Morocco despite not being a diplomat.
Morocco was the third country in the Arab world to normalise ties with Israel in 2020, following the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
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