Morocco Leads Maghreb in Support for Arab-Israeli Normalization, Survey Finds

Between March and April 2021, Morocco is the only Maghreb country in favor of normalization between Israel and four Arab countries, the Arab barometer survey indicates. The survey results show that "the United States has recently placed a strong emphasis on normalizing relations between Arab states and Israel, and this has not changed under Biden. The recent agreements between the United Arab Emirates and Israel and Bahrain and Israel have been largely rejected in the MENA region".

In total, 41% of Moroccan citizens are in favor of these agreements "probably in part because the United States has officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara at the time of the announcement of normalization," says Arab Barometer, noting that in Lebanon, 20% are in favor of these agreements, while less than one in ten does so in all other countries surveyed.

Regarding Moroccans’ perception of the Biden administration, it has seen a marked improvement since October 2020. In Morocco, it has increased by 36 points, compared to 17 points in Tunisia and 7 points in Algeria. "These improving views are clearly linked to the change of US administration following the November 2020 elections," says the Arab Barometer research network. Between March and April 2021, 46% say they are in favor of the Biden administration, behind Libya (47%) and ahead of Algeria (23%) and Lebanon (19%).