Amir Ohana said during his visit to Rabat that it should be one of the priority objectives

Knesset Speaker calls for Israeli recognition of Moroccan Sahara

Twitter @MarocDiplomatie – El presidente del Knéset, Amir Ohana (izquierda), con el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Marruecos, Nasser Bourita (derecha)
photo_camera Twitter @MarocDiplomatie - Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (left) with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (right).

The visit of the president of the Israeli parliament has left a clear and key intention in the geopolitical framework. Amir Ohana reiterated his views on Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara after meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Talbi Alami, and the Kingdom's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita. He did so in line with what he himself has called one of his greatest allies, the United States. "I have said it before and I say it now as Speaker of the Knesset very clearly: Israel should move towards the goal of recognising the Moroccan Sahara, just as our closest ally, the United States, did when it signed the historic Abraham Accords". These agreements completely changed the organisation of relations in the Middle East.

Donald Trump sponsored in late 2020 what is considered by many to be the "deal of the century". Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and, shortly afterwards, Morocco recognised Israel as a state and established diplomatic relations which, since then, have grown exponentially. The clearest example is Morocco, with which Tel Aviv has increased its trade ties by 150 per cent compared to the same figures for last year. And it is with the Alawi kingdom that Israel wants to bring Israel closer in diplomatic terms through recognition of Morocco's autonomy plan for the Sahara.

Twitter @MarocDiplomatie – El presidente del Knéset, Amir Ohana (izquierda), con el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Marruecos, Nasser Bourita (derecha)
Twitter @MarocDiplomatie - Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (left) with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (right).

This is one of the main - if not the main - pillar of Rabat's foreign policy. And the reality is that more and more countries are adopting this position, considered by some, such as Hach Ahmed Baricalla, founder of the Sahrawi Peace Movement, to be what "common sense dictates". In this way, Amir Ohana was keen to state forcefully that "the Sahara is Moroccan", and that, within the Israeli government, "there are currently serious talks" about a future recognition. Moreover, he did not hesitate to express his hope that this will be the case: "I hope that the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will announce this decision in the near future".

The Speaker of the Knesset also assessed the relations between the two countries, looking back and assuring that "the advancement of Israeli-Moroccan relations at the parliamentary level is a wonderful opportunity to link the past and the future, tradition and progress, the old and the new". He was also full of praise for King Mohammed VI, whom he said has a great capacity "to mediate between the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority for peace, which we all want to see with our eyes". Furthermore, Ohana, as a descendant of Moroccan Jews, praised the figure of the Alawite monarch as president of the Al Qods Committee. This body was created in 1975 by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference with the aim of maintaining the status of Jerusalem and those sites that are holy to Muslims in the region.

Twitter @MarocDiplomatie – El presidente del Knéset, Amir Ohana (izquierda), con el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Marruecos, Nasser Bourita (derecha)
Twitter @MarocDiplomatie - Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (left) with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (right).

As a cherry on top of this visit, which demonstrates the ever-improving ties between Moroccans and Israelis, the Speaker of the Israeli parliament presented Talbi Alami with a replica of the Quran. And not just any Quran. It is the world's smallest holy book, produced exclusively by an Israeli company, and whose delivery had previously been announced by Ohana on Twitter, where he said he had "decided to offer my hosts an extraordinary gift that links the Muslim religious world with the pinnacle of Israeli innovation: a nano-Quran". He thus closed a new rapprochement that makes one think more and more of Israeli recognition of the Moroccan Sahara, a key step to continue advancing relations between the two countries.

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