Israel, Morocco agree to normalize relations in Trump administration deal

Dec. 10 (UPI) — Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations, the Trump administration announced on Thursday.

With the deal, Morocco is the fourth Arab country to normalize relations with Israel since the summer, after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

“As part of this deal, Morocco will establish full diplomatic relations and resume official contacts with Israel. They will grant overflights and direct flights to and from Israel for all Israelis,” White House adviser Jared Kushner told reporters in a press call Thursday.

“They’ll reopen the liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv immediately, with the intention to open the embassies in the near future. They’ll be promoting economic cooperation between Israeli and Moroccan companies.”

President Donald Trump called it a “historic breakthrough.”

“Our great friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations — a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East,” he tweeted.

Additionally, Trump signed a proclamation declaring Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory in northwestern Africa.

The Moroccan government has mostly controlled the area, but a small portion has been managed by the partially recognized Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, a self-proclaimed sovereign state established by the Polisario Front in the 1970s.

“The United States believes an independent Sahrawi State is not a realistic option for resolving the conflict and that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only solution,” the proclamation states. “We urge the parties to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s autonomy plan as the only framework to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.

“To facilitate progress toward this aim, the United States will encourage economic and social development with Morocco, including in the Western Sahara territory, and to that end will open a consulate in the Western Sahara territory, in Dakhla, to promote economic and business opportunities for the region.”

Morocco is said to be the first country to recognize the United States after it declared independence 244 years ago.

“Morocco recognized the United States in 1777,” Trump added in a tweet. “It is thus fitting we recognize their sovereignty over the Western Sahara.”

Morocco and the United States recently renewed a defense cooperation road map through 2030.