Israel has decided to recognize Morocco's independence over the disputed Western Sahara region, the royal office in Rabat said on Monday July 17 citing a letter from the Israeli prime minister.
According to the letter, Benjamin Netanyahu informed Morocco's King Mohammed VI of the State of Israel's decision to recognize Morocco's sovereignty over the mineral-rich desert region, the royal office said in a statement.
In the letter, Netanyahu said that Israel is examining the opening of a consulate in the town of Dakhla, located in the Moroccan part of Western Sahara, a move long sought by Rabat.
Israel confirmed the contents of the statement from Morocco when contacted by AFP.
Israel's foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said Netanyahu's decision would strengthen the relations between the nations and peoples, and also enhance the continued cooperation to enhance peace and regional stability. The Western Sahara conflict began in 1975 when colonial ruler Spain removed Spain from the territory, spurring a 15-year war between Morocco and the Polisario Front movement seeking independence.
With a population of more than 80 percent of Western Sahara, Rabat is viewed as a sovereign territory and boasts a wealth of phosphates and fisheries.
Rabat has advocated for limited autonomy for the vast desert territory, while Polisario, the Algerian-backed organization, wants independence and has asked for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination, but it has never taken place.
Since late 2020, the Polisario has been in a war of legitimate defence and has declared the entire Western Sahara, including its land, sea and air space, a war zone, the Israeli parliament speaker Amir Ohana, said in early June.
Netanyahu's letter said Israel's decision would be transmitted to the United Nations, international organizations, and every country with which Israel has diplomatic relations.
Israel's military chief of staff also announced on Monday the appointment of the country's first military attache to Morocco.
Itah should be assuming the position in the next few months, a military spokeswoman told AFP.
Morocco and Israel normalized relations in December 2020 as part of a series of similar US-backed deals with Arab states known as the Abraham Accords.
In return for normalization with Israel, Rabat received recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara from Washington.
The Israeli-Moroccan cooperation in security, trade and tourism has grown significantly.
While Morocco's politicians are seeking closer ties, groups of Moroccans are cautious of the presence of extreme-nationalists in Israel's government, who are hostile to further talks with the Palestinians.
The strengthening of relations with Israel will not be done to the detriment of our principle of support for the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights, a senior Moroccan official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Israel's choice to recognise the sovereignty of Rabat over Western Sahara comes at a time ofheightened rivalry between Moroccan and Algeria, after the two North African neighbours severed their diplomatic relations.