Israel’s historic decision to recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over its Sahara, far from coming as a surprise, remains the culmination of HM King Mohammed VI’s visionary diplomacy and strategic vision, asserted Cameroonian expert Alphonse Zozime Tamekamta, noting that “July 17, 2023 will remain a major date in the history of the irreversible recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara.”
A dynamic driven by His Majesty the King
In a statement to MAP, the Cameroonian academic stressed that the Moroccan diplomacy advocated by His Majesty the King “remains attached to its specific characteristics of moderation and realism, without ever failing in moderation, without omitting the principles of flexibility, without losing sight of the objectives of respect for the law and international legality, and without tiring of demanding justice and fairness in recourse to dialogue as the best way of resolving conflicts”.
“The Sovereign has never ceased to emphasize the historic role that Morocco has always played in bringing the peoples of the region closer together, and in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, as well as the special ties uniting the Jewish community of Moroccan origin to His person.”
Likewise, continues Alphonse Zozime Tamekamta, in His capacity as Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, HM King Mohammed VI clearly remains steadfast on the Palestinian question, supporting “a solution based on two states living in peace and security, and affirming that negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli parties remain the only way to achieve a final, lasting and comprehensive settlement”.
Consolidation of support for the Moroccan Sahara
The decision by the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu, to recognize the Moroccan nature of the Sahara, “is historic in its scope, and is part of a processual constancy in a transhistorical agreement and an expression of irreversible solidarity”, noted the Cameroonian expert.
With this decision, he notes, Israel recognizes that the Moroccan autonomy initiative is the only basis for a “just and lasting” solution, guaranteeing peace and prosperity in the Maghreb.
The professor of History of International Relations (African Polemology and Ireneology) at the University of Yaoundé pointed out that growing support for the Moroccan autonomy plan translates into recognition and defense of the Moroccan character of the Sahara, to which is added condemnation of the reprehensible acts of the polisario and its affiliates (violation of international law, defiance of the international community, refusal to cooperate with the United Nations, enlistment of child soldiers, violation of human rights in the Tindouf detention camps, war rhetoric, etc.).
A message to reluctant, undecided countries
As Alphonse Zozime Tamekamta clearly and explicitly states, the commitment of most of the major state players to a political and consensual solution to the artificial dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, and their open support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Southern Provinces, constitute an important legal reference point for getting certain countries, such as France, out of their entrenched or diplomatically uncomfortable zone with regard to this artificial dispute.
For, he insisted, the indecision or manifest reluctance of a few countries, at the risk of losing them a historic moment, would be “gags” or “handcuffs” to be rejected.
“The Moroccan nature of the Sahara is an element structuring African irenology on the international scene”, insists the Cameroonian expert.
Positioning Dakhla as a “Gateway to Africa”
The announcement of the opening of an Israeli Consulate in Dakhla, contained in the letter of July 17, 2023, irreversibly positions this city as a “Gateway to Africa”, within the framework of the implementation of the FTAAZ, notes the Cameroonian academic.
In this respect, he highlighted the geostrategic dimension of the southern provinces and their cultural proximity to sub-Saharan countries (fundamental for the future of the Euro-African region as a whole), the geographical dimension (Morocco being a gateway to Africa, the southern provinces, including Dakhla, would be the natural point of passage), the political dimension (the southern provinces would be a major contributor and beneficiary of this integration).
These include the integration dimension (an African hub requiring transport infrastructure – port, air, road, electricity – so that these regions can become logistics platforms and better route products to new markets), the economic dimension (the Atlantic dimension of Morocco in general, and the southern provinces in particular, would enable it to become a genuine economic platform between North and South, fostering interconnections and enhancing the international specializations of the southern provinces).
For all these reasons, Israel has established itself as a reliable and viable partner for the shared construction of a stable economy and lasting peace in the Maghreb and Africa, concludes Alphonse Zozime Tamekamta.
Source: Agency Morocaine De Presse