The Hebrew state links its recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara to Rabat’s hosting of the Negev Forum, which was postponed due to violations affecting the Palestinian territories.
Today, Monday, Israel tied its expected decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara region to Rabat’s hosting of the Negev Forum, which was postponed more than once for the foreign ministers of the countries in the region that signed normalization agreements with it under American auspices, in what appears to be one of the conditions set by the Hebrew state, especially since the Sahara file represents a very sensitive file. For the bond. Morocco upgraded relations with Israel in 2020, encouraged by then-US President Donald Trump, who recognized Rabat’s rule of the Moroccan Sahara, which the Algerian-backed Polisario Front claims as an independent state.
But the current President, Joe Biden, did not go ahead with opening a consulate there. Diplomatic sources said that Morocco may establish full relations with Israel by upgrading the current mid-level diplomatic missions to embassies in exchange for an Israeli recognition of the Sahara’s subordination to Morocco.
However, Morocco postponed last month the Negev Forum for Israel and the Arab countries because of the Israeli policies towards the Palestinians and the violations that affected the sanctities in Jerusalem. Last week, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita stressed Rabat’s position in defending the rights of the Palestinians, saying that his country renews its rejection of all Israeli violations and unilateral actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, stressing that “the kingdom is following with great concern the recent disturbing developments in the occupied Palestinian territories, in light of the current situation.” regional and international tensions.
Israel continues its violations against the Palestinians, under pressure from the far-right ministers in the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, whether with regard to expanding settlements or storming some cities such as Jenin and launching raids on the Gaza Strip, which drew criticism from international powers that are traditionally allies of the Jewish state, such as the United States and France.
In response to a question in a statement to foreign media about what Israel sought in return for recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara, and whether it plans to open a consulate in the region, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen linked the decision to the conference.
“We are currently working on this issue and our plan is to make our final decision at the Negev Forum,” Israel’s foreign minister said, adding that Morocco is expected to host the forum in September or October. Observers believe that Israel is trying to exploit a vital file for Morocco, such as the Sahara file, to put pressure on this aspect, although Rabat adheres to its national positions regarding sensitive files such as Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories.
Morocco had concluded many agreements in various fields, especially the military, with Israel, but it preserved the supremacy of its national decision regarding highly sensitive foreign files, such as the Palestinian issue.
