12-10-2020, 11:16 PM
*** 11-Dec-20 World View -- Morocco normalizes ties with Israel in exchange for Western Sahara
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Morocco normalizes ties with Israel in exchange for Western Sahara
****
![[Image: g201210b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g201210b.jpg)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and Morocco's King Mohammed VI (AFP)
Morocco and Israel on Thursday agreed to normalize relations, in an
agreement mediated by president Donald Trump, and described as
"historic." This is the fourth such agreement since September, after
agreements between Israel and United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and
Sudan were also signed. The first Arab countries to recognize Israel
were Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
As part of this deal, the United States changed longstanding US policy
and recognized Morocco’s claims over the disputed Western Sahara
region.
Morocco has had a large Jewish population for centuries. Before
Israel's establishment in 1948, Morocco was home to a large Jewish
population, many of whose ancestors migrated to North Africa from
Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition. Today, hundreds of
thousands of Israeli Jews trace their lineage to Morocco, making it
one of the country's largest sectors of Israeli society, and a small
community of Jews, estimated at several thousand people, continues to
live in Morocco.
Trump announced the agreement in a series of tweets in which he
thanked Morocco for being one of the first nations to recognize the
United States shortly after it declared independence from Britain:
<QUOTE>"Today, I signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan
sovereignty over the Western Sahara. Morocco’s serious, credible,
and realistic autonomy proposal is the ONLY basis for a just and
lasting solution for enduring peace and prosperity!
Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel
and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic
relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!
Morocco recognized the United States in 1777. It is thus fitting
we recognize their sovereignty over the Western
Sahara."<END QUOTE>
As in the case of the previous agreements, the Palestinian authorities
are infuriated. In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said: “This is
a sin and it doesn’t serve the Palestinian people. The Israeli
occupation uses every new normalization to increase its aggression
against the Palestinian people and increase its settlement expansion.”
The Trump administration is pressuring Saudi Arabia to join with the
other countries in normalizing relations with Israel. The Saudis have
given tacit approval to the normalization process, but Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said last week Riyadh would
only consider such a move if a peace deal "delivers a Palestinian
state with dignity and with a workable sovereignty that Palestinians
can accept."
****
**** Agreement mediated by Donald Trump changes the status of Western Sahara
****
![[Image: g201210c.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g201210c.jpg)
Map of Western Sahara (Britannica)
The agreement is receiving criticism from the United Nations,
because the UN does not recognize Morocco's sovereignty over
the Western Sahara.
The region, Spanish Sahara, was a Spanish protectorate until Morocco
achieved independence in 1956, and then claimed sovereignty over
Western Sahara in 1957, although Spanish troops repelled the Moroccan
military from the territory.
In the 1970s, a guerrilla insurgency of nomadic ethnic Sahrawis sprang
up, calling itself the Polisario Front, and calling for the formation
of a new nation, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). This
led to clashes between the Moroccans and the Polisario Front, until a
ceasefire was agreed in 1991.
The ceasefire broke down last month. The Polisario Front
has declared a "state of war," and the UN has received reports
of several "shooting incidents" made by either side.
The Polisario Front is supported by Algeria and South Africa. The
intervention by the Trump administration is an important symbolic
change in the situation, and will energize the Moroccans. The U.S. is
now the only Western country to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over
Western Sahara, providing a diplomatic breakthrough for which the
kingdom has lobbied for decades.
****
**** Israel's 'pragmatic' foreign policy
****
As I reported in February of this year, 15 years ago made a startling
policy change and adopted a new "pragmatic" foreign policy. (See
"6-Feb-20 World View -- Israeli diplomat reveals Israel's startling new 'pragmatic' foreign policy"
)
In the new "pragmatic" foreign policy, adopted around 2004, Israel no
longer considers itself to be a Mideast country, so much as a European
country. It no longer pretends to try to integrate itself into the
Mideast. Instead, under Israel's pragmatic policy, the Arabs and
Israelis continue to hate each other, but Israel would use money and
trade incentives to "buy" peace with its Arab neighbors. The
Trump-mediated peace agreements with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco
appear to be the implementation of this pragmatic strategy.
Al-Jazeera's political analyst Marwan Bishara, who hates Israel but
who hates the Palestinian Authority even more for negotiating peace
with Israel, said that the new announcement was another example of
"America as a diplomatic mercenary on behalf of Israel. ... Let’s call
it what it is – the imperial proclamation. At the end of the day,
Washington is using its influence around the world on behalf of
Israel, or rather Israel is outsourcing American power for its own
benefit in the greater Middle East."
Bishara puts his hatred of Israel on full display, but his political
interpretation is more or less consistent with Israel's pragmatic
foreign policy.
As regular readers know, Generational Dynamics predicts that there is
an approaching Clash of Civilizations world war, pitting the "axis" of
China, Pakistan and the Sunni Muslim countries against the "allies,"
the US, India, Russia and Iran. Part of it will be a major new war
between Jews and Arabs, re-fighting the bloody the war of 1948-49 that
followed the partitioning of Palestine and the creation of the state
of Israel. The war between Jews and Arabs will be part of a major
regional war, pitting Sunnis versus Shias, Jews versus Arabs, and
various ethnic groups against each other.
Sources:
Related Articles:
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Morocco, Western Sahara, Israel,
United Arab Emirates, UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan,
Gaza, Hazem Qassem, Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,
Spain, Spanish Sahara, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR,
Polisario Front, Algeria, South Africa, Marwan Bishara
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Morocco normalizes ties with Israel in exchange for Western Sahara
- Agreement mediated by Donald Trump changes the status of Western Sahara
- Israel's 'pragmatic' foreign policy
****
**** Morocco normalizes ties with Israel in exchange for Western Sahara
****
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump and Morocco's King Mohammed VI (AFP)
Morocco and Israel on Thursday agreed to normalize relations, in an
agreement mediated by president Donald Trump, and described as
"historic." This is the fourth such agreement since September, after
agreements between Israel and United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and
Sudan were also signed. The first Arab countries to recognize Israel
were Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
As part of this deal, the United States changed longstanding US policy
and recognized Morocco’s claims over the disputed Western Sahara
region.
Morocco has had a large Jewish population for centuries. Before
Israel's establishment in 1948, Morocco was home to a large Jewish
population, many of whose ancestors migrated to North Africa from
Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition. Today, hundreds of
thousands of Israeli Jews trace their lineage to Morocco, making it
one of the country's largest sectors of Israeli society, and a small
community of Jews, estimated at several thousand people, continues to
live in Morocco.
Trump announced the agreement in a series of tweets in which he
thanked Morocco for being one of the first nations to recognize the
United States shortly after it declared independence from Britain:
<QUOTE>"Today, I signed a proclamation recognizing Moroccan
sovereignty over the Western Sahara. Morocco’s serious, credible,
and realistic autonomy proposal is the ONLY basis for a just and
lasting solution for enduring peace and prosperity!
Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel
and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic
relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!
Morocco recognized the United States in 1777. It is thus fitting
we recognize their sovereignty over the Western
Sahara."<END QUOTE>
As in the case of the previous agreements, the Palestinian authorities
are infuriated. In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said: “This is
a sin and it doesn’t serve the Palestinian people. The Israeli
occupation uses every new normalization to increase its aggression
against the Palestinian people and increase its settlement expansion.”
The Trump administration is pressuring Saudi Arabia to join with the
other countries in normalizing relations with Israel. The Saudis have
given tacit approval to the normalization process, but Saudi Foreign
Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said last week Riyadh would
only consider such a move if a peace deal "delivers a Palestinian
state with dignity and with a workable sovereignty that Palestinians
can accept."
****
**** Agreement mediated by Donald Trump changes the status of Western Sahara
****
Map of Western Sahara (Britannica)
The agreement is receiving criticism from the United Nations,
because the UN does not recognize Morocco's sovereignty over
the Western Sahara.
The region, Spanish Sahara, was a Spanish protectorate until Morocco
achieved independence in 1956, and then claimed sovereignty over
Western Sahara in 1957, although Spanish troops repelled the Moroccan
military from the territory.
In the 1970s, a guerrilla insurgency of nomadic ethnic Sahrawis sprang
up, calling itself the Polisario Front, and calling for the formation
of a new nation, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). This
led to clashes between the Moroccans and the Polisario Front, until a
ceasefire was agreed in 1991.
The ceasefire broke down last month. The Polisario Front
has declared a "state of war," and the UN has received reports
of several "shooting incidents" made by either side.
The Polisario Front is supported by Algeria and South Africa. The
intervention by the Trump administration is an important symbolic
change in the situation, and will energize the Moroccans. The U.S. is
now the only Western country to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over
Western Sahara, providing a diplomatic breakthrough for which the
kingdom has lobbied for decades.
****
**** Israel's 'pragmatic' foreign policy
****
As I reported in February of this year, 15 years ago made a startling
policy change and adopted a new "pragmatic" foreign policy. (See
"6-Feb-20 World View -- Israeli diplomat reveals Israel's startling new 'pragmatic' foreign policy"
)
In the new "pragmatic" foreign policy, adopted around 2004, Israel no
longer considers itself to be a Mideast country, so much as a European
country. It no longer pretends to try to integrate itself into the
Mideast. Instead, under Israel's pragmatic policy, the Arabs and
Israelis continue to hate each other, but Israel would use money and
trade incentives to "buy" peace with its Arab neighbors. The
Trump-mediated peace agreements with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco
appear to be the implementation of this pragmatic strategy.
Al-Jazeera's political analyst Marwan Bishara, who hates Israel but
who hates the Palestinian Authority even more for negotiating peace
with Israel, said that the new announcement was another example of
"America as a diplomatic mercenary on behalf of Israel. ... Let’s call
it what it is – the imperial proclamation. At the end of the day,
Washington is using its influence around the world on behalf of
Israel, or rather Israel is outsourcing American power for its own
benefit in the greater Middle East."
Bishara puts his hatred of Israel on full display, but his political
interpretation is more or less consistent with Israel's pragmatic
foreign policy.
As regular readers know, Generational Dynamics predicts that there is
an approaching Clash of Civilizations world war, pitting the "axis" of
China, Pakistan and the Sunni Muslim countries against the "allies,"
the US, India, Russia and Iran. Part of it will be a major new war
between Jews and Arabs, re-fighting the bloody the war of 1948-49 that
followed the partitioning of Palestine and the creation of the state
of Israel. The war between Jews and Arabs will be part of a major
regional war, pitting Sunnis versus Shias, Jews versus Arabs, and
various ethnic groups against each other.
Sources:
- Morocco, Israel agree to normalize relations (Sara Carter Show, 10-Dec-2020)
- Trump announces Israel and Morocco will normalize relations (CNBC, 10-Dec-2020)
- Israel and Morocco agree to normalise ties in latest US-brokered deal (France24, 10-Dec-2020)
- Israel, Morocco agree to normalise relations in US-brokered deal (Al-Jazeera, 10-Dec-2020)
- Morocco agrees to normalize ties with Israel (Jewish News Syndicate, 10-Dec-2020)
- Morocco Will Normalize Relations With Israel, Trump Administration Announces (Daily Caller, 10-Dec-2020)
- Morocco Agrees to Normalize Ties With Israel in Exchange for U.S. Recognition of Western Sahara Sovereignty (Haaretz, 10-Dec-2020)
- Western Sahara region, Africa (Britannica)
- Western Sahara: Who are the Polisario Front and what do they want? (Euronews, 17-Nov-2020)
- Ceasefire Ends in Occupied Western Sahara After U.S.-Backed Moroccan Military Launches Operation (Democracy Now, 16-Nov-2020)
Related Articles:
- New 'historic' Israel-Bahrain peace agreement generates controversy (12-Sep-2020)
- Israeli diplomat reveals Israel's startling new 'pragmatic' foreign policy (06-Feb-2020)
- Trump announces fantasy 'Peace to Prosperity' Mideast peace plan (29-Jan-2020)
- Obama and Netanyahu in sharp disagreement after speech (20-May-2011)
- Channeling Sisyphus, Trump and Abbas say Mideast peace not as hard as it looks (04-May-2017)
- Palestinian 'Oslo Generation' relationship with Israel extremely toxic and explosive (18-Oct-2015)
- Obama administration ends effort to pressure Israel on settlements (08-Dec-2010)
- Mideast Roadmap - Will it bring peace? (1-May-2003)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Morocco, Western Sahara, Israel,
United Arab Emirates, UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, Egypt, Jordan,
Gaza, Hazem Qassem, Saudi Arabia, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,
Spain, Spanish Sahara, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, SADR,
Polisario Front, Algeria, South Africa, Marwan Bishara
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
