Israeli minister backs Moroccan claims to Western Sahara sovereignty
On a first official visit to Morocco, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said Israel recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, and stated Israel’s intention to enable Moroccans to work in Israel in the construction and nursing sectors.
On an official visit to Morocco, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said June 21, "Israel supports the sovereignty of Morocco on the Sahara. We talked about the close relationship between the two countries, and also the joint projects that we can do together."
It was the first time that an Israeli minister expressed publicly the country’s support of Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region, which it has controlled for decades despite the presence of the Polisario Front independence movement.
A statement issued by the interior ministry simply said that in her meeting with Moroccan counterpart Abdelouafi Laftit and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Shaked expressed publicly Israel’s support for Moroccan sovereignty. The statement did not include the exact quote of the minister, and the ministry declined to further comment on the issue.
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid had previously addressed the issue, but in a more general manner. In March, Lapid hosted in the southern Negev region the foreign ministers of the US, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, for a first-of-its-kind meeting. After his meeting with Bourita on the sidelines of the Negev summit, Lapid issued a statement saying that the participating countries would work together to counter "attempts to weaken Moroccan sovereignty and territorial integrity."
