Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked's public declaration of Israel's support for Morocco's sovereignty in Western Sahara was received naturally by Moroccans, who viewed the statement as further affirmation of the warm relations and Israel's traditional yet tacit support for their country over the years, even before their diplomatic relationship became official and open in December 2020 as part of the US-led Abraham Accords.
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"This is Israel's position toward Morocco and not just from today. Understandings on this matter go as far back as the 1980s; it was always a give and take, but now the policy is taking on an official diplomatic character, and that's important for outlining the relationship," Prof. Mohamed Elmedlaoui, a Moroccan scholar and writer, told Israel Hayom.
"There was always a give and take, and each side has interests. Beyond the core diplomatic issues, Morocco wants business relations; it is looking for economic investment and development opportunities. Today, about three million Moroccan nationals work outside the country. They are in Europe and America, engineers and other professionals, some of whom eventually return to Morocco while others do not. If the Israeli market opens to us, there will be another country to go to, to study in, and work in," Elmedlaoui said about the recent memorandums of understanding signed between the countries.
"The relationship between Israel and Morocco is special and different," he said when asked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Moroccan public opinion on the Palestinian issue. Unlike Egypt, where the gap between the political and security echelon, which supports cooperation with Israel, and the Egyptian street, which views Israel as the enemy, Morocco presents a slightly different model.
"In Morocco, the situation is unique because the Jewish community and its members take part in every aspect of life over here – in government and politics, culture, economy, and everything else. The Jews in Morocco are very attached to the country and there's a special bond between them and the other population groups, which doesn't exist in other Arab countries. And this also projects onto the Palestinian issue. Generally speaking, there's a desire in Moroccan society to help the Palestinians, there are support rallies, and there's a sense of solidarity, but at the same time, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is approached with a certain pragmatism, and there is a degree of tolerance regarding relations with Israel. This is also the official position. The king [Mohammed VI] expresses his desire to help the Palestinians, and at the same time he has relations with Israel without one coming at the expense of the other," said Elmedlaoui.
Mohamed Abido, the head of the Moroccan Center for Tolerance and Interfaith Dialogue, said in a conversation with Israel Hayom that changes on this front have become visible in Morocco since the signing of the normalization agreement two years ago.
"The state-run media outlets have changed their agenda. Since the renewal of ties with Israel, there's been almost no more use of the word 'occupation.' The street identifies with the Palestinian issue but other than the left and Islamist groups, whose influence has waned over the past year, I think most people, the silent majority, is actually with Israel, in the sense that there's no hatred toward it. There's curiosity; people want to know more about Israeli culture, the language. The Jews have always been a part of our country and history," said Abido.
Abido seemed very encouraged by the warming of relations with Israel, saying that beyond the intelligence-security cooperation that existed prior to the normalization accords, Israel's support for Morocco's position was a significant boon for his country in the international and domestic arenas.
"Israel is with us, and we are with it. The Moroccans have lived alongside Jews all these years. There are matters here that run deeper than interests. We feel that Israel truly loves Morocco. And as long as we're on the subject, this is all happening at an important time, following economic paralysis in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic and in the midst of an unemployment crisis. Many young people are trying their luck and are just waiting to go work in Israel; it's for everyone's best – working Moroccan hands in Israel will benefit the economy greatly.
"The fact that Israel has openly declared that Western Sahara belongs to Morocco is a huge development in which Israel chose to take a courageous position. This will give a push to other countries to follow in its tracks and declare that they also support Morocco's policy. Morocco understands Israel when it talks about the Iranian threat. Iran is also a threat to Morocco and has fought us through proxies. Iran's tentacles have spread in Africa and reached our border, armed the Polisario Front [a rebel Sahrawi nationalist liberation movement claiming Western Sahara] that has fought us and demanded independence in Western Sahara, and that's not all. The Iranians wanted to return Shiism to Morocco and threaten the country's social fabric. This is a dangerous thing," concluded Abido.
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