July 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Israel has formally recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in a letter sent by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to King Mohamed VI, the Alaouite Royal House announced on Monday.
In his letter, Netanyahu informed Mohamed VI of Israel’s decision to “recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara,” according to the official statement, collected by the MAP agency.
As was the case with Spain’s turn towards the Sahara, it was Rabat who announced Israel’s new official position. In March 2022, it was also the Alaouite Royal House that reported the letter from the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, in which the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara was supported as “the most solid, realistic and credible basis” for a solution to the conflict.
In the case of Israel, its position is in line with that adopted in December 2020 by then US President Donald Trump, who also recognized Rabat’s sovereignty over the former Spanish colony. That was precisely the bargaining chip for Morocco to normalize relations with Israel.
Now, Netanyahu has informed Mohamed VI that the new Israeli position will be “reflected in all the acts and documents” of the Government and that the decision will be transmitted to the “United Nations, the regional and international organizations of which Israel is a member, as well as like all the countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations”.
Likewise, the Israeli prime minister has informed the Moroccan monarch that he is evaluating positively “the opening of a consulate in the city of Dakhla”.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s office has confirmed the recognition of Western Sahara as Moroccan. “Israel confirms the details of the Moroccan government’s statement,” he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has expressed his satisfaction with the announcement. “This step strengthens relations between countries and between peoples and cooperation to deepen regional peace and stability,” he explained, according to the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.
It should be remembered that the Trump Administration also announced the opening of a consulate in this town in Western Sahara, although with the arrival of Joe Biden to the White House that measure has not materialized, although there has been no turning back in terms of recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara.
