The GCC reaffirms its support for the Moroccan Sahara
Morocco continues to strengthen its position on the Sahara issue in the international community. The proposal for Sahrawi autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is gaining more and more support, and on this occasion it was the Gulf countries who wanted to show their support for the Alaouite kingdom by reiterating their backing for the Moroccan occupation of the Sahara. The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) did so in a statement addressed to the annual meeting of the UN Committee of 24, read out by the representative of the Sultanate of Oman on behalf of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In this text, the GCC reiterates "the importance of the special strategic partnership between the Council and the Kingdom of Morocco and the implementation of the joint action plan". Furthermore, it also makes clear "the positions of the GCC and its consistent decisions in support of the Moroccan Sahara and the preservation of the security, stability and territorial integrity of Morocco". They point to this as the only feasible avenue of resolution and hope to end the historic dispute as they see it as the only way to restore security and stability in the region.
This view is gaining more and more supporters. And one of the most important on the horizon is Israel. Following the Abraham Accords and the resulting shift in Middle East geopolitics, Morocco has established fruitful relations with Tel Aviv. It is Tel Aviv that seems close to being the next to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara as its US ally has already done - precisely in exchange for Israel's recognition - and to further deepen the ties they share. This good feeling is not hidden on either side and was even clearly expressed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana during his latest visit to Morocco.
After meeting his Moroccan counterpart, Talbi Alami, and the Kingdom's Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, Ohana expressed his desire for recognition of the Moroccan status of the Sahara: "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". Moreover, he leaves no room for debate, asserting that "the Sahara is Moroccan", and that, within his country's executive, "there are currently serious talks" about future recognition.
This would be a decisive move as far as relations in the Middle East and the Maghreb are concerned. Israel is one of the key countries that has not yet recognised Moroccan sovereignty and, in addition to the Knesset leader's words, the development of economic relations between the two countries is progressing very well. The volume of trade between the two countries has increased by 150% compared to last year's figures, a fact that promotes "the advancement of Israeli-Moroccan relations", which, said Amir Ohana, "on a parliamentary level is a wonderful opportunity to link the past and the future, tradition and progress, the old and the new".