Summary: Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalise relations in a deal brokered by the United States. As part of the agreement, US has agreed to recognise Morocco’s claim over the Western Sahara. The Polisario Front wants to establish an independent state in the territory with the backing of Algeria and the African Union.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the deal as historic and thanked Trump for his extraordinary efforts. However, Palestine has criticised the deal saying it encouraged Israel’s ‘denial of their rights’ over the territory. Polisario Front has said that it will continue to fight for the right of the Saharawi people to establish an independent state.
Morocco becomes the fourth Arab country to set aside hostilities with Israel and normalise ties with the Jewish state. On Thursday, Israel and Morocco agreed to normalise relations in a deal brokered by the United States. The deal was personally monitored by the outgoing US President Donald Trump himself. Al Jazeera reports that Trump sealed the agreement in a phone call on Thursday with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.
Normalising ties between Arab countries and Israel in the past four months has been one of the highlights of Trump’s tenure. Morocco is the fourth country since August and the sixth to strike a deal aimed at normalising relations with Israel. The others were the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan and Sudan, all during Trump’s tenure.
As part of the agreement, US has agreed to recognise Morocco’s claim over the Western Sahara. The recognition is significant as the region has been struggling with a territorial dispute between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front for the last several decades. The Polisario Front wants to establish an independent state in the territory. With US recognising Morocco’s sovereignty over the region, Algeria and its frontal organisations will now find it difficult to pursue the agenda.
US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to announce the deal. He wrote “Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!” he wrote. On recognising Western Sahara, Trump wrote ” Morocco recognized the United States in 1777. It is thus fitting we recognize their sovereignty over the Western Sahara. ”
In an official communication, White House said President Trump and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI had agreed that Morocco would “resume diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel and expand economic and cultural co-operation to advance regional stability”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the deal as historic and thanked Trump for his extraordinary efforts. Speaking after the ceremony to light the first ‘Chanukah candle’ with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Netanuahu said “I want to thank, too, the King of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, for taking this historic decision to bring a historic peace between us. The people of Morocco and the Jewish people have had a warm relationship in the modern period”. “I think that this is the foundation on which we can now build this peace. We’ll resume liaison offices quickly between Israel and Morocco and work as rapidly as possible to establish full diplomatic relations”, he said.
The deal includes the reopening of liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat – shut in 2000 when low-level relations broke down after the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising – and the eventual opening of embassies. Officials said Morocco would grant direct flights to and from Israel for all Israelis.
Netanyahu also said that the tremendous friendship shown by the kings and the people of Morocco to the Jewish community there and of thousands of Moroccan Jews who come to Israel form a human bridge between our two countries. Israel will also institute direct flights between Morocco and Israel, he declared. “The light of peace on this Hanukkah day has never – shone brighter than today in the Middle East”, he said.
In Morocco, a palace statement confirmed the deal, saying the king, in a telephone call with Mr Trump, had agreed to diplomatic relations with Israel “with minimal delay”. However, the statement on behalf of Morocco’s king said the “measures do not in any manner affect Morocco’s ongoing and sustained commitment to the just Palestinian cause”. Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain issued statements welcoming the deal between Morocco and Israel.
However, as expected Palestine has criticised the deal saying it encouraged Israel’s ‘denial of their rights’ over the territory. Palestinian leaders have condemned the recent deals between Israel and Arab League countries as they say that by normalising ties with Israel, the Arab states are forsaking the agenda of Palestinian statehood.
Morocco to have sovereignty over Western Sahara
The United States has recognised Morocco’s claim over Western Sahara as part of the agreement. A former Spanish colony, it was annexed by Morocco in 1975. Since then it has been the subject of a long-running territorial dispute between Morocco and its indigenous Saharawi people, led by the pro-independence Polisario Front. Morocco claims that the region has always been part of its territory. The African Union recognises it as an independent state.
The claims and counter-claims resulted in an armed conflict in 1975. After a 16-year-long insurgency, a UN-brokered truce in 1991 ended the conflict. The deal promises a referendum on independence, which has yet to take place. Polisario Front which was formed continued to impress upon the UN and international community to recognise the independence of Western Sahara for over a decade now.
Polisario Representative at the UN Sidi Omar rejected the legality of the agreement over Western Sahara. ” US outgoing President has made a proclamation involving Western Sahara whose legal status is determined by international law and #UN resolutions. Yet the move shows that #Morocco’s regime is willing to sell its soul to maintain its illegal occupation of parts of #WesternSahara”, he wrote on Twitter.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe who supports the cause of Polisario Front has said that the deal is shocking and deeply disappointing. “Today’s #WhiteHouse announcement alleging #Morocco’s sovereignty over #WesternSahara is shocking and deeply disappointing. I am saddened that the rights of the Western Saharan people have been traded away”, he said as quoted by Sidi Omar.
Though the agreement gives hope for better ties between the Arab world and Israel, the status of the indigenous Saharawi people will continue to hang in balance. Morocco’s further military action to claim its part of the deal can only worsen the situation. Polisario Front has said that it will continue to fight for its right with the backing of Algeria and the African Union.
Dhruv Ashok 
Shobhil Shrivastava 
Satish Chogule