Israel recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara

On Monday, Israel recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara and plans to open a consulate in the mineral-rich desert region. Morocco says Israel has recognized the North African country's sovereignty over disputed Western Sahara and plans to open a consulate in the vast desert territory, home to abundant phosphates and fisheries. The announcement came shortly after Morocco's Foreign Ministry released a statement saying King Mohammed VI had received a letter from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledging Morocco's claim to the mineral-rich territory.

The royal office in Rabat added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the letter that the Tel Aviv regime was considering opening a consulate in the city of Dakhla, located in the Moroccan part of Western Sahara. According to Monday's statement from the Moroccan Royal Court, Netanyahu's letter also stated that Israel's decision would be conveyed to the United Nations, international organizations and all countries with which the Tel Aviv regime has diplomatic relations. Israeli officials said in June they were debating Morocco's dominance of Western Sahara, but in July said they would condition that decision on whether or not Rabat hosted a repeatedly postponed meeting.

between Israeli officials and the foreign ministers of four Arab states involved in US-brokered normalization deals. Morocco postponed the Forum last month, citing Israel's repression and barbaric actions towards the Palestinians. Negev Forum was established following a March 2022 summit hosted by former senior Israeli diplomat Yair Lapid in the Negev desert settlement of Sde Boker. The objective of the Forum is to strengthen cooperation between Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States. These are the countries involved in the Abraham Accords, US-brokered agreements between Israel and Arab countries to normalize diplomatic relations. Morocco has become the fourth Arab country - after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan - to reach a normalization agreement with Israel, which was brokered by former US President Donald Trump's administration in its final days. in power.

In exchange for normalizing Morocco's relations with Israel, the Trump administration promised in December 2020 to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. US President Joe Biden has not taken action to make the recognition of Morocco's sovereignty announced by his predecessor effective on the ground. Morocco's annexation of the vast region of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975 sparked conflict with the Algerian-backed Polisario Front - a movement that seeks to establish an independent state in the territory and put an end to Morocco's presence there. Morocco currently controls 80% of the region, including its phosphate deposits and fishing waters.

He built a wall about 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) long crossing the disputed territory to keep Sahrawis away from the resource-rich area. The indigenous population of Western Sahara is strongly opposed to Moroccan control and has called for the independence of the North African country and a referendum on its self-determination, which the region has been promised through UN resolutions . The UN deployed the MINURSO peacekeeping mission to the region to monitor a 1991 ceasefire and supposedly organize a referendum on the region's status. However, UN envoys failed to prepare the ground for a referendum on the future of Western Sahara.