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Great news for the Arab world and its stability: another Arab nation – Morocco – will normalize relations with Israel, as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to leave a less conflicted and more peaceful Middle East.
The announcement of the historic Moroccan-Israeli peace agreement comes after the United States government, led by Trump, signed a proclamation recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty in Western Sahara.
Per Infobae, the “issue of normalization between Rabat and Israel was re-launched in February during an official visit to Morocco by the head of US diplomacy, Mike Pompeo.
At the time, Israeli media said that Rabat would be willing to make a gesture in exchange for US support for its position on Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony disputed by Moroccans and Algerian-backed Polisario Front separatists.
“Today, I signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic autonomy proposal is the ONLY basis for a just and lasting solution for enduring peace and prosperity!,” President Trump wrote on Twitter.
In a second message, Trump added: “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!”.
The president added a historical note to his Twitter messages, recalling that Morocco, in 1777, recognized the United States and, therefore, saw it “appropriate” to recognize Moroccan sovereignty in the Western Sahara.
With this agreement, Morocco becomes the fourth Arab country to normalize ties with Israel, after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Sudan; this has been sponsored by the Trump Administration.
Realpolitik for Morocco
In his proclamation, Trump explained that “the United States believes that an independent Sahrawi State is not a realistic option for resolving the conflict and that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.”
“We urge the parties to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only framework to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.”
“To facilitate progress toward this aim, the United States will encourage economic and social development with Morocco, including in the Western Sahara territory, and to that end will open a consulate in the Western Sahara territory, in Dakhla, to promote economic and business opportunities for the region,” he added.
Following a phone call between President Donald Trump and King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan ruler said his country “will resume official contacts (…) and diplomatic relations with minimal delay” with Israel, according to a statement from the royal palace.
During that conversation, it was also agreed to “expand economic and cultural cooperation to promote stability in the region.”
Morocco and Israel maintained, respectively, liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat in the 1990s, but were later closed in 2000.
A high-ranking U.S. government official said Thursday in a call to journalists that, through this pact, Morocco and Israel will soon launch direct flights connecting them and “embassies will be opened in the near future,” according to EFE.
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón is a journalist at El American specializing in the areas of American politics and media analysis // Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón es periodista de El American especializado en las áreas de política americana y análisis de medios de comunicación.
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