“Israel should recognize the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara,” stressed former national security advisor to the prime minister of Israel Meir Ben-Shabbat.
“Israel should recognize the Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara, especially after the US and other countries have either done so or have expressed support for Morocco’s position. It would be unwise to leave this issue as a stumbling stone in the otherwise impressive trajectory of improving relations,” said Ben-Shabbat who is also a senior research fellow at the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS) in Tel Aviv.
In an article authored by the Israeli figure, who is of Moroccan origin, and posted on e-paper The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune, Ben-Shabbat gave an in-depth analysis of the Abraham Accords, two years after their adoption.
Referring to Morocco, the writer underscored the current flourishing of bilateral relations as evidenced by the frequent travel of Israeli ministers to Morocco, the bilateral agreements that have been signed in numerous fields, in addition to the signing of arms contracts and reciprocal visits by the military chiefs of staff on both sides, which reflects the tightening of security cooperation.
He added that direct flights are almost always completely booked, business delegations from the two nations have exchanged visits and formed joint ventures, and universities, research institutions, labor unions, cultural organizations, and sports organizations have established channels of communication and collaboration, and there’s still more to come.
However, the author pointed out that the diplomatic missions have yet to be officially upgraded to embassies and Israeli ministerial visits in Morocco have not been reciprocated.
The expert wondered that may be this is due to Israel’s ambiguous stance on Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
“Clearly, there is an expectation, at the highest levels in Rabat, that Israel would join the US, Poland, France, Bahrain, and the UAE and to the dismay of Algeria, even Spain, who have either recognized Moroccan sovereignty or expressed some level of support for Morocco’s position. There can be no doubt as to the positive impact such a step would generate,” he underlined.