Two years and seven months after normalizing their relations, Israel recognizes Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. This was announced by the Moroccan Royal House, revealing the letter sent in this regard by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Two hours after the Rabat statement, official confirmation came from Jerusalem. “This step will strengthen relations between the two countries and peoples and the continuation of cooperation to deepen peace and stability in the region,” said Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, after a decision that could lead to full diplomatic relations between both countries.

In this way, Israel follows the path of the United States, which in December 2020 surprised the world by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the former Spanish colony. In return, Morocco ended a 20-year break with the Jewish state by joining the Abraham Accords promoted by then-President Donald Trump. “The US believes that an independent Saharawi state is not a realistic option to resolve the conflict and that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only viable solution,” Trump said, calling for negotiations between the parties over the disputed territory but distancing himself, as in many other respects, from the traditional foreign position of his country.

In the letter sent to King Mohamed VI and revealed by him, Netanyahu recognizes “Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara”, in a new position that “will be reflected in all relevant acts and documents of the Israeli Government” and will be notified to “United Nations, regional and international organizations of which Israel is a member as well as all countries with which Israel maintains diplomatic relations.”

Since the normalization of relations that officially filled the hole created by Rabat when it broke them on the occasion of the Second Palestinian Intifada at the beginning of the century, the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara was on the foreign agenda of the Netanyahu government. on his return to power almost seven months ago. Rabat put enormous pressure on him to take this step. “We are studying it,” Israeli sources told EL MUNDO several months ago in the hope that the measure will lead Morocco to raise the rank of its diplomatic legation in Tel Aviv and order the opening of the embassy (in fact it was a Moroccan condition for this) and to invite Netanyahu to an official visit. According to the Moroccan monarch, Israel is “positively” considering the creation of a consulate in Dahla in Western Sahara, as 28 other countries, the vast majority Arab and African, already have in this town or in El Ayoun.

United in a strategic alliance, the two countries hope to further strengthen their connection focused mainly on the field of security, tourism, agriculture and high technologies. Since the normalization of relations (December 2020) and the Defense agreement (November 2021) signed in Rabat by the then Defense Minister, Benny Gantz and his Moroccan counterpart Abdellatif Loudiyi in what was the first military memorandum between Israel and an Arab country , the Israeli arms industry has made numerous and profitable visits to Morocco. The great supply of weapons and technologies was met with equally great demand on a board of strategic alliances. Beyond the collaboration between the Mossad and the Moroccan monarchy that dates back to the 1960s, Israel is on the side of Morocco against Algeria in the framework of the war with its great enemy, Iran. In the past, the two countries have accused Tehran of supporting the Polisario Front and Algeria.

“Algeria is certainly not a friend of Israel and is supported by Iran with weapons and training, but we cooperate with Morocco to serve the interests of the two countries and not to go against Algeria or another country,” an Israeli Army official told us on Tel Aviv.

Morocco tends to emphasize that the renewed and expanded relationship with Israel, based not only on a meeting of interests and needs but also on the ties created by the historic Jewish community in the Arab country, does not alter its support for the Palestinian cause and the creation of a Palestinian state side by side with Israel.

The lack of Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara and the violence inherent in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and aggravated in the last year in the West Bank have been two obstacles on the way to full diplomatic relations. A reflection of this is the decision of the Moroccan authorities to postpone the so-called “Negev Summit” that they planned to host with the participation of Israel and several Arab countries.

The Moroccan announcement came hours after the Israeli army appointed a military attache in Rabat for the first time. This is Colonel Sharon Itach who is of Moroccan origin like hundreds of thousands of Jews in Israel. For example, the president of Parliament Amir Ohana who visited Morocco in June, where his parents were born, and insinuated what has been confirmed this Monday about the disputed territory. He wasn’t the only Israeli leader to do so in the past two years, so the move hasn’t come as much of a surprise.

A few months ago, we asked the Israeli Foreign Minister if Spain should be concerned about security and defense cooperation with the neighboring country. “We are happy with our relationship with Morocco but it has nothing to do with the excellent relations with Spain that my visit seeks to strengthen,” Cohen told us before traveling to Madrid.

According to a senior Moroccan government official quoted by Reuters, Israel’s position on Western Sahara was “clear” and adds – he says – to the drive in favor of Morocco, after Washington and Madrid, as well as other European capitals , will support his plan for the territory.

For King Mohamed VI, it is an important achievement that adds to the US recognition and the turn in the position of Spain taken by President Pedro Sánchez and criticized by the Sahrawis.

For Netanyahu, it is less relevant due to the number of open and closer fronts. Above all because for several months it has been facing an unprecedented internal crisis with massive protests in the streets against the government project for changes in the judiciary and seeks to prevent an increase in economic damage and tensions with the US leadership that it does not hide his dissatisfaction with the Israeli government. In fact, while the news broke from Rabat, Netanyahu was focused on every word and every silence of his first telephone conversation since March with President Joe Biden.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project