King Mohammed VI invited Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu to Morocco after the Jewish state recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, a “far-sighted” decision according to a message of thanks published Wednesday, July 19.
“You are welcome to pay a visit to Morocco, on dates at our mutual convenience, to be defined through diplomatic channels”, wrote the sovereign in his message. This meeting “will open up new possibilities for bilateral relations between Morocco and Israel,” he said. According to a statement from Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzahi Hanegbi and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita decided to “set a date together in the near future” for the visit.
The question of Western Sahara is “the national cause of the kingdom and the priority of its foreign policy”, underlines Mohammed VI in his message, welcoming an “important decision [which is] both fair and far-sighted”. “It is part of the irreversible international dynamic that sees many countries […] favoring a definitive political solution to this anachronistic regional dispute, on the basis of the Moroccan autonomy initiative for the Sahara region and within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the kingdom,” he continues.
Intense pressure
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is considered a “non-self-governing territory” by the UN, in the absence of a final settlement. For nearly fifty years, an armed conflict has opposed Morocco to the separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by neighboring Algeria. Rabat advocates an autonomy plan under its exclusive sovereignty, while the Polisario calls for a self-determination referendum under the aegis of the UN, planned when signing a ceasefire in 1991 but never materialized.
Morocco is exerting intense pressure on its international partners – particularly France, through a relentless media campaign – to recognize the “Moroccanness” of the territory.
Morocco and Israel normalized diplomatic relations in December 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, a process between Israel and several Arab countries backed by Washington. Since then, the two allies have been working to accelerate their cooperation, mainly military, security, trade and tourism. But this all-out rapprochement is not unanimous in Morocco, especially since the accession to power in Israel of ultranationalist currents. If the militant mobilization has weakened, the Palestinian cause continues to arouse immense sympathy within the Moroccan population.
