Israel’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over its desert comes after Morocco’s firm position, in which His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, affirmed that “the Sahara issue is the lens through which Morocco looks at the world, and it is the clear and simple criterion by which he measures the sincerity of friendships and the effectiveness of partnerships.
Israel informed Morocco of its recognition of the Moroccan Sahara, in a step expected since the two parties resumed diplomatic relations about two years ago under the “peace of Abraham” agreements, after a break that began during of the second Palestinian intifada in 2002.
This development constitutes the latest episode in a series of international and regional recognitions of Morocco’s sovereignty over all of its territory, including the Sahara, around which a fabricated conflict has been raging for decades by the separatist Polisario Front supported by Algeria, which calls for self-determination -determination, while Rabat presented in 2007 a proposal for autonomy which can be seen today, it is the most realistic solution to get out of the conflict.
A press release from the royal court indicates today, Monday, that the King of Morocco Mohammed VI received from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informing him of Israel’s decision to recognize the Moroccanity of the Sahara. According to the statement, Netanyahu assured King Mohammed VI of Israel’s position, “which will be embodied in all relevant Israeli government actions and documents,” stressing that “the United Nations, regional and international organizations including Israel is a member, as well as all countries with which Israel maintains diplomatic relations, will be informed of this decision.”
The letter also stated that “Israel is positively considering opening a consulate for him in the city of Dakhla, as part of the consecration of this state decision”.
The Israeli decision is part of the steps taken by Tel-Aviv and Rabat to strengthen their relationship and extend it to all economic, political, security and military domains. In another development, the Israeli army announced in a statement on Monday the appointment of a military attaché to Morocco, in what it describes as a “historic” step, which will raise “the level of development of relations security between the two countries. “
“Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevy has decided to appoint Sharon Etah as the first military attaché to Morocco, in a step that raises the level of development of security relations between the two countries,” he said. According to the statement from the Israeli army, “the military attache will reside in Rabat and will undertake the task of developing and strengthening all security relations with Morocco, provided that he officially takes over in the coming months” .
The Israeli army called the decision “historic in the context of Arab relations and the State of Israel, with the appointment of the first military attaché to the Kingdom of Morocco”. Al-J said that this step is “the culmination of several steps observed over the past two years, embodied in the visit of senior military officials and the conduct of a number of joint exercises, including the latest was the African Lion, with the participation of elite forces (Israeli army) on Moroccan soil. He continued: “The military attaché, Itah, comes from a Jewish family who lived in Morocco. He speaks the Moroccan dialect, and he visited the kingdom last year. Today, he holds the position commander of the Haifa brigade on the Israeli army’s home front.”
An Israeli military source said: “This historic appointment is an example of the depth of cooperation and willingness of the two armies to build a long-term relationship based on mutual trust. During the first half of 2023, Morocco has seen various visits by Israeli ministers, private sector officials and tourist delegations, including 4 ministers, 3 senior military officials and the speaker of the Knesset. On December 10, 2020, Israel and Morocco announced the resumption of diplomatic relations after their suspension in 2000.
On the 22nd of the same month, the Moroccan government signed a “joint declaration” with Tel Aviv and Washington, during the first visit of an official Israeli-American delegation to the Moroccan capital, Rabat.
