Trump facilitated the establishment of diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel

Reporter : Fei Zhen / Editor : Ling Ming / https://www.soundofhope.org/post/452500 / Direct translation / Image : Shutterstock

With the mediation and coordination of the Trump administration in the United States, another major breakthrough was made in the Middle East peace process. Israel and Morocco reached an agreement on the normalization of bilateral relations on December 10, and they are about to re-establish comprehensive diplomatic relations. Morocco has also become the fourth Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with Israel in the past four months.

U.S. President Trump announced this important news on Twitter on December 10, declaring that "Another historic breakthrough was made on the same day! Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco, two good friends of the United States, have agreed to establish comprehensive diplomatic relations. It will bring about a huge breakthrough in peace in the Middle East."

According to reports, the good news came just in time for the first night of Hanukkah in Israel. At the lighting ceremony of the Western Wall Plaza, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu again expressed his gratitude to President Trump.

Netanyahu said, "This time is a historic agreement. I have always believed that this historic day will finally come, so I have been working hard on it. First of all, I want to thank President Trump for what he has done to expand peace. Extraordinary efforts have brought peace to the people of Israel and the Middle East."

Netanyahu also stated that Israel will quickly restore the liaison office with Morocco, establish comprehensive diplomatic relations as soon as possible, and open direct flights between the two countries.

It is estimated that after Morocco and Israel resume diplomatic relations, the two countries will re-establish liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat and eventually open their embassies to each other. The agreement will also grant overflight rights and direct traffic to and from Israel.

As part of this historic agreement, President Trump signed the announcement on the same day and announced that the United States recognizes Morocco’s sovereign status in Western Sahara. Morocco and the Polisario Front, a military organization backed by Algeria, have been facing tit-for-tat in Western Sahara for a long time, and territorial disputes have existed for decades; the Polisario Front was established to establish an independent state there.

Western Sahara is a long and narrow desert on the Atlantic coast of Africa. It was a Spanish colony in the past, and the ownership of sovereignty is still disputed. However, Morocco currently controls 80% of the area, including its phosphate deposits and fishing waters. The Polisario Front expressed regret for the United States’ recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, but it is not surprised.

Trump has successfully mediated four Middle East peace agreements since August this year. Prior to this, the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan had reached a permanent peace agreement with Israel. These are historical breakthroughs that were previously regarded as unlikely to be achieved by the outside world. They have also made Trump the international leader who has contributed the most to the Middle East peace process in this century. As a result, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times this year.