Morocco's king thanks Israeli PM for backing claim on Western Sahara

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has invited Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for an official visit, after Israel formally recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

Moroccan and Israeli flags displayed in Morocco’s Foreign Ministry in Rabat. © AP/Mosa'ab Elshamy

Netanyahu wrote to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on 17 July informing him of Israel’s decision to recognise the sovereignty of Morocco over the territory of Western Sahara.

He added that Israel would register its decision with the United Nations and other international organisations.

This week King Mohammed VI wrote back to Netanyahu, thanking him for a “fair and forward-looking decision”.

🔴SM le Roi Mohammed VI a reçu une lettre du Premier Ministre de l’Etat d’Israël, SEM Benyamin Netanyahu, qui a porté à la Très Haute Attention de SM le Roi, la décision de l’Etat d’Israël de "reconnaître la souveraineté du Maroc sur le territoire du Sahara occidental". pic.twitter.com/tBkpVdX2fD

— Maroc Diplomatie 🇲🇦 (@MarocDiplomatie) July 17, 2023

According to the royal palace, Israel is considering establishing a consulate in the city of Dakhla in Western Sahara. Some 28 other countries – mostly African and Arab – have opened consulates in Dakhla or Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara.

King Mohammed also reiterated an invitation to Netanyahu for an official visit to the kingdom. Officials are understood to be working on a date for the Israeli PM’s first visit to Morocco some time in the near future.

Diplomatic trade-off

Israel's decision is a major cause for concern in the region, namely neighbouring Algeria and beyond that in Palestine.

“It is the culmination of a long history of covert relations that has been going on between Morocco and Israel,” said Jon Marks, an expert on North Africa and founder of Cross-border Information business intelligence company.

The rapprochement between Morocco and Israel largely predates the Abrahams Accords they signed on 22 December 2020 with the United States. The agreements were encouraged by former US President Donald Trump in an effort to normalise the relationship between the Arab states and Israel.

In return for Morocco’s signature of the agreement, the US recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory.

Marks told RFI that President Joe Biden's administration has continued to promote the accords signed under his predecessor. “They did not drop it like they dropped many of the policies of the former Republican administration,” he said.

‘A violation’

Morocco considers the Western Sahara its own but the Polisario Front, a Sahrawi nationalist movement backed by neighbouring Algeria, has been fighting for independence since the early 1970s.

The group is recognised by the UN as the legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people, the native population of Western Sahara.

Following Israel's endorsement of Moroccan sovereignty, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, told the media that the UN’s “position on the Western Sahara issue remains unchanged”.

Algeria strongly criticised the Israeli move, calling it a “new violation of international law”.

“Morocco’s relationship with Algeria has been going through a period of extreme tension over the past several years, and this move only contributes to already destructive relations with Algeria,” Marks commented.

Palestine parallel

Mohammed Elbaikam, a Western Sahara-based activist, draws a parallel between Palestine and Western Sahara.

“Morocco relies on the same tools and methods as Israel in suppressing the Palestinians, occupying them, displacing them from their land, robbing them of their wealth and controlling them,” he told Middle East Eye.

• South Africa vows 'unapologetic' support for Western Sahara independence from Morocco

In Palestine, Mustafa Barghouti, MP and leader of the Palestinian National Initiative party, is equally critical.

“It is an opportunistic act by Netanyahu and his government at the expense of the Palestinian cause. The goal behind normalisation with Arab countries is to liquidate the Palestinian issue,” he told RFI.

“It also shows that Israel does not pay any attention to the right of the Sahrawi people for self-determination.”

#Israel-#Morocco ties boosted after Western Sahara recognition

On July 17, Israel recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, following in the footsteps of the #US. Here's the whole story.#DME #DailyMiddleEast pic.twitter.com/njoYDhAclM

— Daily Middle East (@D_MiddleEast) July 19, 2023

Jerusalem question

Morocco is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, where it chairs the Al Quds committee. One of its roles is to “salvage Jerusalem” (Al Quds Al Sharif) and safeguard its holy sites.

“It is impossible to reconcile the work to safeguard Jerusalem and normalisation with Israel. And that’s why I think both Israel and Morocco are in trouble,” Barghouti said.

He believes that the normalisation of ties with Israel is “absolutely contradictory” to the feeling of the Moroccan people.

“The Moroccan people are absolutely on the side of the Palestinian struggle. And we’ve seen the Moroccan team carrying the Palestinian flag everywhere during the World Cup in Qatar,” he added.

Attractive partner

But, Marks observed, there is no issue more important for the Moroccan government than the consolidation of their sovereign control over the disputed Western Sahara.

Furthermore, with its sophisticated military industry, Israel is an attractive partner.

“We know about the military and security cooperation. For example, the use of Pegasus spyware, made in Israel, by Morocco,” Marks added.

• Macron holds national security meeting over Pegasus spyware claims

“Algeria’s generals – fiercely opposed to Morocco – see a build-up of Israeli arms, drones, security equipment, as being a threat.”

Israel and Morocco are also united by historical ties. More than one million Israelis are of Moroccan origin, while Morocco maintains a Jewish community whose rights are recognised by its 2011 constitution.

“After Covid, Israeli tourist groups were among the first to travel to Marrakech, which badly suffered from lack of tourists,” Marks said.

Israel’s industrial expertise in biotech and start-ups is also very attractive to the Moroccans.

Popular discontent

“There have been Moroccan demonstrations against the relationship, but they’ve been limited,” said Marks.

“The world has shifted and the kind of reaction you might have seen 20 years ago against such a move is just not visible.

“People are getting on with their lives, struggling with the cost of living, staying at home and rather disenfranchised from politics.”

He added: “It is a cause but, at the moment, not a defining cause.”

The governments that have signed the Abrahams Accords believe that they can manage popular discontent.

“The recognition by Israel is just another step towards ratcheting up tension in the region which, I personally fear, is very dangerous,” Marks commented.