A "far-sighted" decision. This is the adjective used by Moroccan King Mohamed VI in his message of thanks to welcome the recognition by the Jewish State of the sovereignty of this Maghreb country over Western Sahara. The king On Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu said in a letter to the Moroccan royal cabinet in which he said he recognized the country's sovereignty over the coveted territory of Western Sahara.
In the same message, Mohamed VI puts forward the prospect of a meeting with Netanyahu that "will open new possibilities for bilateral relations between Morocco and Israel". "You are welcome to visit Morocco, on dates at our mutual convenience, to be defined through diplomatic channels," the Sharifian sovereign wrote in his message. Israeli National Security Adviser Tzahi Hanegbi and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita "decided tonight to set a date together in the near future" for the visit.
A "national cause" and a "priority" for Mohamed VI
The question of Western Sahara is "the national cause of the kingdom and the priority of its foreign policy," Mohammed VI said in his message. "It is part of the irreversible international dynamic that sees many countries (...) promote a definitive political solution to this anachronistic regional dispute, based on the Moroccan autonomy initiative for the Sahara region and within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom," he said.
Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is considered a "Non-Self-Governing Territory" by the United Nations in the absence of a final settlement. For nearly 50 years, an armed conflict has pitted Morocco against the separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by neighboring Algeria. Rabat advocates an autonomy plan under its exclusive sovereignty, while the Polisario calls for a referendum on self-determination under the aegis of the UN, planned when a ceasefire was signed in 1991 but never materialized.
The diplomatic rapprochement between Morocco and Israel is not unanimous in Morocco, especially since the Palestinian cause continues to arouse immense sympathy among the Moroccan population.