Morocco said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backs its claim to the disputed coastal territory of Western Sahara, a move that may help enhance relations following the U.S.-brokered restoration of ties three years ago.
The announcement by King Mohammed VI’s cabinet in Morocco — reported by state news agency MAP on Monday — also suggested Israel views “positively” the opening of a consulate in the Western Saharan city of Dakhla.
Israel confirmed the details in the announcement, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The endorsement has the potential to help boost diplomacy brokered in 2020 by the administration of then U.S. President Donald Trump, part of the co-called Abraham Accords that also included the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The Morocco-Israel side of those deals had looked vulnerable after the former delayed an annual meeting of regional foreign ministers to protest against Israeli policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Morocco has been embroiled in a low-key military confrontation in Western Sahara with the Algeria-based Polisario Front, a group of indigenous Sahrawis who have been seeking independence in the former Spanish colony since Morocco’s annexation in 1975.
