By Ahmed Eljechtimi
RABAT (Reuters) – Morocco said on Monday that Israel has recognised its sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara and is mulling opening a consulate there.
A statement from Morocco’s royal palace said Israel’s position was expressed in a letter to King Mohammed VI from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Algerian-backed Polisario Front demands an independent state in Western Sahara. In 2020, then-U.S. President Donald Trump recognised Morocco’s claim to the territory in return for its partial upgrade of relations with Israel.
The Israeli position “will be sent to the United Nations, regional and international organisations…as well as all the states Israel has diplomatic relations with,” the statement from Morocco’s royal palace quotes the letter as saying.
As part of this recognition, Israel mulls “the opening of a consulate in the city of Dakhla,” the statement said.
Israel’s position on Western Sahara is “clear-cut” and comes as part of a momentum in Morocco’s favour, after Washington and Madrid in addition to other European capitals supported its autonomy plan for the territory, a senior government official told Reuters.
The Israeli recognition will not affect Morocco’s “principles” in defending the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he added.
(Additional reporting by Nadine Awadalla; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Christina Fincher)
