Morocco confirmed on Dec. 10 that it will restore diplomatic relations with Israel as soon as possible. The U.S. was able to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara territory, which is also seen as a historic decision. Egyptian President Sisi said on 10 December that it was an important step forward for the region. The Polisario (Polisario) Front, which has a claim to the Western Sahara territory, has rhetorically criticized Trump’s position on the issue.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, who said his country would “restore official ties and diplomatic relations with the Hebrew state as soon as possible. In a communiqué, the royal family said that the two countries would launch direct flights in the near future.
Western Sahara was once a Spanish colony, in 1975, Spain announced its withdrawal from Western Sahara, and signed partition agreements with Morocco and Mauritania, respectively, and the Algerian-backed Polisario (Polisario) Front subsequently also claimed the territory of Western Sahara, the three parties had a number of armed conflicts. In 1979, Mauritania renounced its territorial sovereignty over Western Sahara, and armed conflict between Morocco and the Polisario continued until 1991. Morocco currently controls about three quarters of Western Sahara.
The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory and the UN-supervised autonomy settlement are obvious supports that represent a “historic breakthrough” for Morocco.
Morocco recognized Israel in 1994 and established diplomatic offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv for eight years, until they were closed in the early 2000s. On that basis, the Israeli side argued that “today it is a matter of restoring relations that already exist and not of recognition, but strictly of normalizing relations.”
An official Moroccan statement revealed that King Mohammed VI “intends to provide direct flight permits for members of the Moroccan Jewish community and for Israeli tourists traveling to and from Morocco.” In Israel, there are about 700,000 people from the Moroccan community. Between 50,000 and 70,000 Jews visit Morocco each year, most of them from the Jewish state.
Mohammed VI ensured on Dec. 10 that the new measures against Israel “will in no way affect Morocco’s permanent and lasting commitment to the cause of a just Palestine, nor will it affect Morocco’s determination to continue to contribute effectively and in some way.
Mohammed VI spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and assured him that he “will never abandon his role in defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. Morocco supports a solution based on two states living side by side in peace and security, and indeed negotiations remain the only way to reach a final, lasting and comprehensive solution to this issue,” the royal statement said.
Morocco is the fourth country in the Arab world to announce it will normalize relations with Israel, spurred by U.S. President Donald Trump. The four countries are the Joint Arab Emirates, the state of Bahrain and Sudan.
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