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Normalization agreement with Morocco
U.S. recognition of sovereignty over Western Sahara is Morocco's grand prize
Rabat has taken its biggest step towards resolving the conflict with the former Spanish colony, which has been going on for 40 years.
Despite fears of public outrage and damage to his religious status, King Muhammad VI gambles that nationalist fervor over territory has more weight than the Palestinian issue
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Morocco
Muhammad VI, King of Morocco
Western Sahara
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Friday, 11 December 2020, 07:21
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Netanyahu on the agreement with Morocco: "This is a great light for Israel in honor of Hanukkah, thank you to President Trump" (Photo: GPO)
In its decision to normalize relations with Israel, Morocco has taken the biggest step towards the most important award for it - global recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Washington's support for its control of the desert territory is the most significant policy change the Trump administration has made to date in its efforts to gain recognition of the Arab world in Israel.
For King Muhammad VI, this outweighs the fear of angering his pro-Palestinian citizens or harming his persistence as a "shield of believers" among devout Muslims following the peace he made with the annexation of East Jerusalem, where the Temple Mount is located.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Burita said at a press conference in which he declared the royal declaration that "anyone who criticizes the agreement is against Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara."
It is not clear how necessary these rebukes were.
"This news is a shock to him and to the Moroccan people. We strongly reject it," said Khaled Sufiani, a pro-Palestinian activist.
However, while Islamist and pan-Arab parties oppose normalization with Israel, others, including activists for the rights of the barbarian natives, support it.
"Renewal of relations with Israel is good news that serves the top interests of Morocco," said Munir Keji, a barbaric activist.
More on Walla!
NEWS
Opening of representative offices and direct flights: the main points of the agreements with Morocco
To the full article
Abandoned the ceasefire last month.
Polisario Front Warriors (Photo: AP)
The deal was forged at a founding moment in the frozen conflict in Western Sahara between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front-backed independence movement, which thawed again last month after three decades of a ceasefire.
The front, made up of local Saharan residents, waged a war for territory independence from the end of Spanish colonial rule from 1975 to 1991. Morocco has control of about 80 percent of the territory, including phosphate reserves and fishing grounds.
Apparently, the US move will not lead other Western countries - or the UN - to abandon their traditional position of holding a referendum to resolve the conflict. However, it adds momentum to Rabat's diplomatic campaign, which has already gained momentum this year. African and Arab countries - including the United Arab Emirates - open consulates in western Sahara.
Hfolisario, abandoned the ceasefire agreement since 1991 last month following a border incident in which supporters forces of Morocco, declared that the guerrilla his will continue. However, after 30 years since the truce, The Moroccan army has increased its power and technological capabilities with the help of the United States and is currently negotiating the purchase of advanced UAVs from Washington.
Although the movement has announced continuous shelling of Moroccan border systems in the depths of the desert since the end of the ceasefire, neither side has reported any casualties.
Map of the division of control in Western Sahara
For Morocco, peace with Israel may be a less dramatic step compared to other Arab countries.
About a million Israelis are from Morocco, and its foreign minister said 70,000 Israelis visited the kingdom last year alone.
It opened a coordination office in Israel in 1994 following the Oslo Accords, but closed it in 2002 during the second intifada.
Despite this, after reports circulated earlier this year about Morocco's agreement to normalize with Israel, Prime Minister Saad Din al-Ottoman, the leader of a moderate Islamist party, said Rabat rejects "any normalization with the Zionist entity."
King Muhammad tried to sweeten the gospel when he said in his statement that he still supports a two-state solution, and considers Jerusalem a holy city for the three religions.
However, in agreeing to the agreement, the ruler gambles that the nationalist fervor towards Western Sahara has more weight than popular support for the Palestinian issue.
Morocco accuses Iran of supporting Polisario, and even severed ties with it in 2018 because of this, but Tehran denies it.
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