Moroccan Sahara: Israeli Recognition, Strategic Consecration of Kingdom’s Credibility – Italian Diplomatic Academy

Israel’s decision to recognize the Sahara’s Moroccanness is a “strategic” affirmation of the Kingdom’s credibility and its “permanent and serious” commitment to the development and influence of its southern provinces, stressed Abderrahmane Chabib, executive director of the Italian Diplomatic Academy. In a statement to MAP, the professor at the University of Verona said that “the Israeli move, the fruit of HM King Mohammed VI’s enlightened and wise diplomatic action, bears witness to Morocco’s credibility and the legitimacy of its cause,” noting that this recognition is in line with the “constructive and peaceful” steps taken by the Kingdom in recent years. “The Israeli decision marks a new turning point in the national issue, which already enjoys remarkable international support,” he said, noting that “Israel will be the bearer of this recognition not only at the level of its state, by declaring its position in all relevant acts and documents of the Israeli government, but also at the level of its diplomatic action, which constitutes an important support for the Moroccan Sahara issue that will encourage several other countries to move in the same direction.” According to the specialist in economic diplomacy, Tel Aviv’s position will encourage Israeli investment in the southern provinces, “where foreign investors, especially American ones, continue to multiply”. “The decision of some of the most powerful countries in the world to invest in the southern provinces of Morocco is, moreover, a concrete and lasting recognition that strengthens the Kingdom’s credibility at the geopolitical and economic levels,” he continued. Praising the development process underway in Morocco’s southern provinces, Chabib stressed that “the remarkable influence of Morocco’s southern cities is the result of the royal vision to turn these provinces into a true model of integrated development and an economic hub that will act as a link between Morocco and its African extension within the framework of South-South cooperation. The Kingdom is a credible actor acting as a hub between Africa and its Mediterranean and Atlantic neighbors,” he stressed, highlighting the Kingdom’s leading role in promoting peace in the region. In this regard, the expert praised the wise and committed actions taken by the Sovereign, Chairman of the Al Quds Committee, to stabilize the Middle East, “who has made the Palestinian cause a national cause.” Beyond geopolitics, “Morocco is a Muslim country with an immense cultural plurality and a strong international vocation, where coexistence, tolerance and interreligious dialogue are not only a reality but a model that continues to bear fruit at the national and international levels,” he concluded.