Israel reaffirms recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara

Israel reiterated its recognition of "Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara" on Friday, following an interview on French television during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed a map showing the disputed territory clearly separated from the Cherifian Kingdom.

"Under Prime Minister Netanyahu's leadership, Israel officially recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2023," stated an official communiqué, released in Arabic.

In an interview aired Thursday on the LCI channel, Mr. Netanyahu displayed a map and said, according to the French translation by the channel: "Look at the map here of the Arab world in green, Israel is this little red dot."

On the map, Morocco appears in green like other Arab countries, while Western Sahara is shown in white.

Morocco and Israel normalized their relations in December 2020 as part of the so-called Abraham Accords, a diplomatic process between Israel and several Arab countries, supported by the United States. In return, Rabat secured recognition from Washington of "Moroccan sovereignty" over Western Sahara.

The communiqué issued by Mr. Netanyahu's office explained that the map shown on the screen during the interview was an "old map" and assured that "Israel's policy remains (...) unchanged" regarding the recognition of "Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara."

Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, is largely controlled by Morocco—which proposes an autonomy plan under its sovereignty—but is claimed by the Sahrawi independence movement, the Polisario Front, supported by Algeria.