Morocco said to seek Washington’s recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara lands in return
Morocco is seen as a likely member of the list of countries that could follow the example set by the United Arab Emirates and work to normalize their relations with Israel, Kan public broadcaster reported Friday.
The outlet cited US officials as stressing that the country was already allowing Israeli tourists in and maintained a trade relationship with the Jewish state.
It also has a small Jewish community of its own, and Casablanca, Morocco’s bustling port city, is home to the only Jewish museum in the Arab world.
In exchange for a formal normalization with Israel, the country reportedly seeks Washington’s recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara territories annexed in 1975.
The coastal territory between Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria is currently split into two zones, the western one controlled by Morocco and the eastern part run by the Polisario Front, an indigenous rebel group that proclaimed an independent state — Saharan Arab Democratic Republic — in the area.
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Bahrain’s prime minister left the country for ‘private visit’ on Saturday, his office said
Rabbi Mark Schneier, special advisor to Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman al-Khalifa, said Friday that the Persian Gulf kingdom could normalize its relations with Israel by the end of the year.
In his interview for Israeli Kan public broadcaster following the announcement of the upcoming UAE-Israeli normalization, he said that he expected “one or two” other Gulf states to follow suit by 2021.
“I think Bahrain will be next,” he said.
On Friday, Bahrain’s ruler met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to congratulate him on the peace deal with the Jewish state.
The agreement represents “a historic diplomatic achievement that preserves the two-state solution and all possible options for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” he added.
On Saturday, Bahraini Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa left the country for a “private visit,” his office said in a statement. According to some of the reports in Israeli media, he met with Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to discuss the normalization of the ties between the two countries.
