Morocco is fourth Arab country that agreed to normalize ties with Israel
On Thursday, Israel and Morocco agreed to normalize ties in an agreement mediated by the United States, so Morocco is now the fourth Arab country, the others were the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, to push away hostilities with Israel during the past four months.
Indeed, and as part of the deal, US President Donald Trump accepted to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara, where there has been a decades-old territorial conflict with Morocco against the Algeria-supported Polisario Front, which is a separate movement that seeks to create an independent state in the territory.
The senior US official related that Trump closed the deal in a phone call on Thursday with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI. Under the agreement, Morocco would institute complete diplomatic ties and restart official contacts with Israel, giving direct flights to and from Israel for all Israelis.
White House senior adviser, Jared Kushner, informed Reuters: They are going reopen their liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv immediately with the intention to open embassies. And they are going to promote economic cooperation between Israeli and Moroccan companies.
Read in a statement on the phone call between Trump and the king of Morocco: Today the administration has achieved another historic milestone. President Trump has brokered a peace agreement between Morocco and Israel, which is the fourth such agreement between Israel and an Arab/Muslim nation in four months.
It also said: Through this historic step, Morocco is building on its longstanding bond with the Moroccan Jewish community living in Morocco and throughout the world, including in Israel. It added: This is a significant step forward for the people of Israel and Morocco. It further enhances Israel’s security, while creating opportunities for Morocco and Israel to deepen their economic ties and improve the lives of their people.
The statement also related that Trump reaffirmed his support for Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic autonomy proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara territory. And as such the president recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Moroccan Sahara territory.
With the leaving of Trump from his office in January. 20, the Morocco agreement could be among the last team, led by Kushner and US envoy Avi Berkowitz that could negotiate before administering the President-elect Joe Biden. Much of the deal-making impetus has been to present a united front against Iran and limit its regional influence.
