Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a secret meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at the UN General Assembly in New York last September, an Israeli official told Axios on Sunday.

Netanyahu reportedly stressed in the meeting that Israel wants to normalize ties with Morocco and that he is interested in visiting the north African country publicly.

Israel hasn't had formal diplomatic relations with Morocco since the start of the Second Intifada in 2000, when the bilateral liaison offices the two countries had opened in 1995 following the signing of the Oslo Accords with the Palestinians were closed down.

The Israeli official also told Axios that Netanyahu and Bourita discussed attempts to counter Iranian actions in the region. Morocco has cut ties with Tehran over alleged Iranian efforts to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

The Times of Israel reported that, when asked for a response, Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said he was unaware of such a meeting, and the Prime Minister’s Office said it does “not comment on contacts with countries with which Israel does not have formal relations.”

In recent weeks, however, there have been rumors of Israel-Morocco contacts, including that Netanyahu was seeking to arrange a visit to the country just before Israel holds elections on April 9. 

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