US brokers another historic deal: Morocco and Israel

(by Steve Herman, VOA) WHITE HOUSE — In a U.S.-brokered deal, Israel and Morocco have agreed to recognize each other.

This follows three other Arab (/Muslim) countries — Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates — recently establishing ties with the Jewish state, which several times since its modern founding in the late 1940s has found itself at war with its Muslim-majority neighbors.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the deal between Morocco and Israel on Twitter, hailing it as a historic and massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East and a continuation of his regional diplomacy known as the Abraham Accords.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, welcoming the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, called the establishment of ties with the North African kingdom “another great light of peace.” He said it would lead to direct flights between the countries and the opening of diplomatic missions.

Moroccan King Mohammed, speaking to Trump on Thursday by phone, confirmed the plans for direct flights for Israeli tourists to and from Morocco.

[“As part of this deal, Morocco will establish full diplomatic relations and resume official contacts with Israel. They will grant overflights and direct flights to and from Israel for all Israelis,” White House adviser Jared Kushner told reporters in a press call Thursday.

“They’ll reopen the liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv immediately, with the intention to open the embassies in the near future. They’ll be promoting economic cooperation between Israeli and Moroccan companies.”].

As part of the agreement, the United States agreed to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the entire Western Sahara, a former Spanish territory where international negotiators have failed to resolve a long-running dispute.

Morocco has claimed the territory as its “southern provinces” in opposition to the Polisario Front, based in Southern Algeria, which has been fighting for independence for Western Sahara.

“This will not change an inch of the reality of the conflict and the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination,” said the Polisario’s Europe representative, Oubi Bchraya, who vowed the movement would continue its struggle.

…On recognizing the Western Sahara as Morocco’s, Kushner…told reporters,“It’s recognizing the inevitability of what is going to occur, but it also can possibly break the logjam, to help advance the issues in the Western Sahara.” He added the United States wanted the “Polisario people to have a better opportunity to live a better life” and Trump “felt like this conflict was holding them back as opposed to bring it forward.”

Trump administration officials predicted more countries would normalize ties with Israel.

“The fruits of these efforts have been become very apparent,” Kushner told reporters on the conference call. “But we also believe that there is a lot more fruits to come in the short, medium and long term.”

Kushner specifically mentioned Saudi Arabia as one country that will inevitably establish relations with Israel. …

“Over four years, he hasn’t started wars. He’s ended wars,” Kushner said of Trump. “He showed strength. I mean, he’s struck when needed. He’s enforced his red lines. He’s liked, he’s respected, and he’s feared, which is critical in the Middle East and in those areas toward making progress.”

VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report from New York. Published at voa .com. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission from Voice of America.