Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked backlash among the Moroccan public after presenting a map that depicted a divided Morocco during a press conference on Wednesday.
The map, which was shown on a large screen behind Netanyahu during a press conference, separated the Moroccan Sahara from the northern part of the country, which was labeled as “Morocco.”
Images of Netanyahu standing beside the map quickly spread across social media, with Moroccan users denouncing the portrayal as a “provocative” act aiming to revoke Morocco’s support for Palestine.
“We say to Mr. Netanyahu, this is not the way you will change the position of Morocco and Moroccans on the just Palestinian cause.” one X user wrote.
نتنياهو رئيس الحكومة الإسرائيلية اليمنية المتطرفة يستفز المغاربة والمغرب بتأكيده مرة ثالثة بإظهاره خريطة المغرب 🇲🇦 بمنطقتين مختلفتين: المغرب والصحراء المغربية. نقول للسيد نتانياهو ليس بهذه الصورة سوف تغير موقف المغرب والمغاربة من القضية الفلسطينية العادلة. pic.twitter.com/VQxpp9YhJ1
— Andaloussi🇲🇦عبد الحكيم اندلوسي (@AndaloussiAbd10) September 5, 2024
In response to the outcry, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement clarifying that the labeling on the map was displayed “mistakenly” and was not intended to misrepresent Moroccan territory.
It is important to note that on the map in the Prime Minister's office, only Morocco's name appears on the entire specific area.
Israel reaffirms its recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) September 4, 2024
“It is important to note that on the map in the Prime Minister’s office, only Morocco’s name appears on the entire specific area,” the ministry wrote in a post on X. The statement further reaffirmed Israel’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.
Israel officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in July 2023. However, this recent incident marks the second time since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza in October 2023 that Netanyahu has presented a map showing the Moroccan Sahara as a separate entity.
In a similar incident in May, Netanyahu displayed a divided map of Morocco during an interview with a French news channel. The Israeli Foreign Ministry at the time quickly issued a correction, describing the incident as a “mistake.”