The announcement by US President Donald Trump on Thursday of Morocco's commitment to normalize relations with Israel and of the US's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara prompted mixed initial reactions.
After the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, Morocco is the fourth Arab country since August to promise a normalization of relations with the Jewish state.
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Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is controlled for the most part by Morocco, which offers broad autonomy under its sovereignty.
The Polisario Front is calling for a self-determination referendum provided for by a ceasefire agreement signed in 1991 under the aegis of the UN.
Insisting on
"the historic role that Morocco has always played in bringing the peoples of the region closer together"
, the King of Morocco Mohamed VI confirmed that he would
"resume diplomatic relations"
with Israel
"as soon as possible".
On Western Sahara, Mohamed VI expressed to the American president his
“deep gratitude”
for this
“historic position”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed a
"historic" deal,
saying his country would
"set up liaison offices, then direct diplomatic relations and direct flights between the two countries."
The Islamist movement Hamas, in power in the Gaza Strip, denounced this new normalization between an Arab country and Israel.
"It is a political sin that does not serve the Palestinian cause and encourages the occupation (name given by Palestinian officials to Israel) to continue to deny the rights of our people,"
Hazem Qassem told AFP. his spokesperson.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, to whom Mohammed VI said he assured he would
"never
give up
his role in defending the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people",
did not immediately comment. .
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whose country has been linked since 1979 by a peace treaty with Israel, welcomed the American announcement.
He hailed an
"important step towards more stability and regional cooperation"
in the Middle East.
Spain, a former colonial power in Western Sahara, said it was
“happy”
with this normalization, like those of the past weeks.
"Now, the problem of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians remains to be resolved and the position on Western Sahara remains to be resolved,"
Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez said.
The Polisario Front, supported by Algiers, and the Saharawi government
"condemn in the strongest terms the fact that (...) Donald Trump attributes to Morocco what does not belong to him"
, namely sovereignty over Western Sahara, said the Saharawi Ministry of Information.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
"thinks (...) that the solution to this issue can always be found on the basis of Security Council resolutions"
.