First impressions, by Arezki DaoudToday, 10 December 2020, Morocco said it will resume -“with minimum delay- diplomatic relations with the state of Israel. The announcement came after pressure from the United States, specifically from its outgoing President, Donald Trump and his son-in-law Jard Kushner, after other Arab countries made similar announcements. Morocco’s resumption of ties with Israel came with a condition that the US recognizes “Morocco’s sovereignty” over the disputed Western Sahara territory. [read what’s at stake]Although Morocco and Israel had respectively maintained liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat in the 1990s, before closing them in 2000, this decision could prove to be a difficult sale to close for a number of reasons. The first is of domestic nature, with the conservatives, who are staunched opponents of normalizing relations with Israel, likely to oppose such deal. The latter, including Islamists in the government and in parliament, are likely to stir passion among the general public and will argue why such move could be detrimental, at least with regards to the fate of the Palestinian people. As such, the quotation of “minimum delay” is probably used by the Moroccan government as a recognition that it will take time to convince, if any.The second is related to the status of Donald Trump as a lame-duck president. Not only Trump is on his way out on 20 January 2021, but an official recognition of sovereignty over the Western Sahara will require not only the backing of the next administration, but also of that of the US Congress. And inside the congress, the Polisario Front has its own supporters.At the end of the analysis, the biggest winner here may be Israel, which sees its recognition among reluctant Arab nations expand, something that Bibi Natenyahu would use to boost its profile in a very difficult political environment. For Morocco, it is an opportunity to ascertain its alleged rights over the Western Sahara, but the opposition from Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa, could prove difficult to surmount on the short term. The UN is also not likely to pivot to the Trump position, with the likes of Russia, China and others in the security council sticking to the current status-quo.Finally, for Donald Trump, it is another opportunity to speak to the press and to his supporters to tout a new “achievement” on the foreign policy front. But for him, the move is a bit too little-too late. AFP |
US President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Morocco is now the fourth Arab state this year to recognize Israel in a diplomatic breakthrough that also sees Washington backing Moroccan rule over the disputed Western Sahara region. Trump tweeted that “Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!” The White House said Trump and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI spoke by phone and the Moroccan leader said he was agreeing “to resume diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel and expand economic and cultural cooperation to advance regional stability.” The US president also “recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara territory,” the White House said in a statement. Trump — due to leave office on January 20, despite unprecedented and so far failed attempts to overturn the US election result — has racked up historic advances in bringing Israel and Arab states together.
Morocco joins the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan in the White House’s “Abraham Accords” initiative. The US diplomatic push has allowed Israel to weaken the Arab world’s previously united front over the Palestinians’ struggle for statehood as their top priority in relations with the Israelis. The biggest prize for Washington would be getting Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel. While this still appears to be some way off, Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner told reporters that the Saudis would come on board. “Israel and Saudi Arabia coming together and having full normalization at this point is an inevitability, but the timeframe, obviously, will come — is something that has to be worked out,” Kushner said after the news about Morocco was announced.
For Morocco, the shift appears to have been compensated with Washington’s backing for its disputed rule over the vast Western Sahara area, a former Spanish colony. Morocco controls 80 percent of the territory, including its phosphate deposits and its fishing waters. But the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which fought a war for independence from 1975 to 1991, demands a referendum on self-determination. Trump issued a proclamation formalizing the new US position and tweeted that “Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic autonomy proposal is the ONLY basis for a just and lasting solution for enduring peace and prosperity!” in Western Sahara.
