PMO apologizes after Netanyahu shows map of Morocco excluding disputed Western Sahara

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office apologizes after showing a map in a French TV interview that excludes the Western Sahara from the borders of Morocco yesterday, sparking uproar in the northern African kingdom.

The statement asserts that Israel has recognized Rabat’s sovereignty over the disputed region since 2023 and that the map used by Netanyahu in the interview was not altered accordingly.

“Israel’s policy is unequivocal and has not changed — Israel recognizes Morocco’s sovereignty in Western Sahara,” the PMO stresses.

The Western Sahara dispute dates back to 1975, when colonial ruler Spain withdrew from the territory, sparking a 15-year war between Morocco and the Polisario Front movement seeking independence in the territory.

Rabat controls nearly 80 percent of the Western Sahara and sees the entire territory, home to abundant phosphates and fisheries, as its sovereign territory.

Rabat advocates for limited autonomy for the vast desert territory, while the Polisario seeks independence and has called for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination, but it has never taken place.

As part of the 2020 forging ties between Jerusalem and Morocco, brokered by the Trump administration, the US recognized Morocco’s unilateral annexation of Western Sahara. Despite pressure, the Biden administration has not reversed the US recognition of the disputed territory.

Morocco stated that it normalized diplomatic relations with Israel to gain recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Yesterday, Netanyahu presented a map that still shows Western Sahara as NOT part of Morocco.

The normalization was free. pic.twitter.com/Op3FhrsRc1

— Warfare Analysis (@warfareanalysis) May 31, 2024

AFP contributed to this report.