The Israeli government officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over occupied Western Sahara on Monday, July 17. According to reports, a statement from the Moroccan Royal Court was released on Monday which stated that the Israeli government was also planning to open a consulate in Dakhla in the occupied Western Sahara territory. The decision was reportedly conveyed in the form of a letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Moroccan King Mohammed VI, which added that Israel would also register its decision with the United Nations and other relevant international organizations.
The Israeli recognition comes weeks after the Moroccan government decided to postpone the Negev summit in the wake of recent Israeli war crimes and human rights violations against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. The Moroccan government had also denounced the Israeli government’s announcement of construction and expansion of a number of illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israel has reportedly conditioned its recognition on Morocco holding the summit in the near future.
The summit is usually attended by Israel, the US, and a number of Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which in the last few years have recognized the state of Israel and established diplomatic relations with it as part of the Abraham Accords—a decision condemned by Palestinians as a betrayal of their cause.
Israel is now among the handful of countries which have extended their recognition to the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. It follows in the footsteps of the US, which recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the area during the presidency of Donald Trump in 2020.
An overwhelming majority of the international community does not recognize the Moroccan occupation, however, close to 30 countries have opened consulates in the area. The territory has been occupied by Morocco since 1975 when Spanish colonial rule over the area ended. The Polisario Front, which was established to defend the territory and fight against the Moroccan occupation, wants to create an independent state in the area and has been resisting the occupation since it took over control of the territory from Spain.
