Israel Recognizes Moroccan Sovereignty Over Western Sahara, Sparking Mixed Reactions

"But what good news! We are delighted with this historic decision! A slap in the face for our former historical partners," tweeted an account displaying on its bio an emoji representing an eight-pointed star, a sign mainly used by the burgeoning Moroccan nationalist movement, The Moorish. Moroccan media have also hailed Israel’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara. "The triumph of royal wisdom: the whole world says the Sahara is Moroccan," headlines Al-Ahdath Al-Maghribia, a daily newspaper installed with dozens of others on a newsstand, a few meters from the Moroccan Parliament in Rabat.

In the eyes of other Moroccans, the Israeli decision is not synonymous with victory. "It’s a shame. Today I’m ashamed to be Moroccan. I’ve never felt that before," Mohammed, 63, a press kiosk owner, told the newspaper The New Arab. "In this street, we used to protest by the thousands against the violations committed by the Zionists against the Palestinians. Today, we are celebrating them," he added. If the "Moroccanness of the Sahara" is a fundamental national cause for almost all Moroccans, including liberals, socialists and Islamists, they are also very attached to the Palestinian cause.

"It is regrettable that the result is to seek the legitimacy and sovereignty of a criminal entity that occupies the dearest, purest and most sacred parts of the Muslim world," writes Hassan Benajeh, a human rights activist and member of the Al Adl Wal Ihssane (Justice and Charity) movement. The Israeli decision is "a poisoned gift that will lead to the loss of national unity around the Sahara issue," comments Aziz Hanawi, a member of the Moroccan Observatory against Normalization, to TNA.

Known for its opposition to the normalization of relations between Israel and Morocco, the Justice and Development Party (PJD) has not, for the time being, reacted to the Israeli decision. In March, the palace had reprimanded the Islamist party for "interfering in the functions of the king" and "instrumentalizing the Palestinian cause for political purposes". Since then, the PJD has remained silent.