Israel reiterates support for Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara

Israel reiterated its previously stated recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed area of Western Sahara, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed a map showing the territory as independent. 

According to AFP, Netanyahu pointed to a map of the Middle East and North Africa to illustrate regional threats to Israel, during an interview with LCI, a French news channel which aired Thursday. The map showed Western Sahara as a separate territory from Morocco.

On Friday the Prime Minister’s office issued a statement in Arabic saying that under his leadership "Israel officially recognized Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2023". 

"Israel's policy remains steadfast and unchanged," it said.

Israel recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the mineral-rich region in July 2023 in a letter from Prime Minister Netanyahu to Morocco's King Mohammed VI, following US-brokered normalization in 2020.

The move formed part of the Abraham accords in which the United States also recognized the territory as a part of the kingdom in return for Rabat formalizing ties with Israel.