The Diplomat
King Mohammed VI of Morocco has sent a message to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu, to thank him for the “important” decision of the State of Israel to recognize the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over Western Sahara and to favorably consider the opening of a consulate in the city of Dakhla.
“Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to express my sincere thanks and great appreciation for your letter, in which you informed me of the decision of the State of Israel to recognize the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over its Sahara and to favorably consider the opening of a consulate in the city of Dakhla”, said Mohammed VI in his message, picked up yesterday by the state news agency MAP.
This “fair and farsighted” decision, he continued, has been “highly welcomed by the Moroccan people and its forces”, since, he recalled, the question of Western Sahara is “the national cause of the Kingdom and the priority of its foreign policy”. “It is fair, to the extent that it confirms the authentic legal titles and the irrefutable historical rights of Morocco over its Saharawi provinces,” the Monarch wrote. In addition, he is “also clairvoyant, since he is part of the irreversible international dynamic that sees numerous countries, from all regions of the world, favor a definitive political solution to this anachronistic regional dispute, based on the Moroccan initiative for autonomy of the Sahara region and within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom”, he continued.
The Sovereign also recalled that, since December 2020, bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Morocco and the State of Israel have not ceased to consolidate in all areas. “The momentum they are experiencing is unprecedented, both in terms of exchanges of visits by officials and businessmen, as well as in terms of the development of the conventional framework, diversification of cooperation and strengthening of commercial exchanges”, highlighted the King, who recalled In this regard, the “catalytic” role of the Moroccan Jewish community.
The Alaouite Monarch also expressed his confidence that Netanyahu’s decision on the Moroccan identity of the Sahara “could further strengthen the ties between Morocco and Israel.” “As I indicated during our telephone conversation on December 25, 2020, you are very welcome to visit Morocco, on dates to be defined through diplomatic channels, according to our mutual convenience,” he recalled.
According to Mohammed VI, this meeting “will open up new possibilities for bilateral relations between Morocco and Israel” and will also be “an opportunity to promote the prospects for peace for all the peoples of the region, taking into account the content of the Tripartite Declaration signed on December 22, 2020 between the Kingdom of Morocco, the United States of America and the State of Israel, including the principles that should guide the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.
Specifically, the Tripartite Declaration reiterated Morocco’s position on the Palestinian question, including the defense of the special status of Jerusalem as a holy city for the three monotheistic religions. Mohammed VI chairs the Al Quds Committee, a body dependent on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that defends, among other points, the Arab and Muslim character of Jerusalem, the protection of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the cultural heritage of the city. Morocco is the largest contributor to the Committee.
