American Jewish Committee Welcomes US support for Morocco’s sovereignty over Sahara

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomed the US decision to recognize and back Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.

This recognition was “long-awaited, eminently sound and deserves continued support,” wrote the committee’s Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, Jason Isaacson, in a comment posted on the AJC website and published by the US magazine Newsweek.

After recalling the US-Morocco time honored alliance, Isaacson made it clear that it is in the US interest to honor Morocco’s historical claim to the Sahara while also fully embracing, and promoting international acceptance of it.

Issaacson noted that the standstill in the UN process with the intransigence of Algeria- the adversary of Morocco’s territorial integrity- push for a clear-cut US position to help break the deadlock.

The time has come to adjust to reality, he wrote, recalling that since Morocco submitted the autonomy proposal for the Sahara (in 2007), US administrations starting with George W. Bush backed the proposal as serious and credible.

“Respecting a stance of fundamental importance to an ally, likely bringing greater stability and prosperity to a region that is a continental gateway, shouldn’t be a hard choice for America,” Isaacson wrote.

He also welcomed Morocco’s normalization of ties with Israel as conducive to regional peace and stability in line with US goals.

“A Morocco strengthened by the resolution of the Sahara dispute and by cooperation across multiple sectors with Israel will be an ever-more capable partner of the United States in promoting regional stability, countering extremist forces and addressing human needs,” he stated, adding that “the Biden administration now has before it the political tools to keep our Moroccan partners strong.”