Israel’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Sahara is a ‘major boost’ for Mideast peace (British MP)

Israel’s decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara is a “major boost for the peace in the Middle East,” British Conservative MP Liam Fox said on Wednesday.

The vision and commitment to peace by King Mohammed VI and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will take bilateral relations to a new high and send a strong message to the rest of the world, Fox told MAP.

“The United Kingdom needs to join our allies and take a stand on the issue by supporting the Autonomy Plan, which is the only practical way for the region to move forwards,” he stressed.

Fox’s statement echoes that of Stuart Polak, a member of the British House of Lords, who described Israel’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara as “a good sign.” “We are going to encourage the British government to do the same,” Lord Polak added.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed the official position of his country to recognize the Sahara as part of Morocco on Monday in a letter to King Mohammed VI in which he also said Israel considers positively opening a consulate in Dakhla.

Like many other international media, Spanish daily El País also commented on Israel’s decision, saying this move has given Rabat new diplomatic support and strengthened its position.

The Israeli government’s decision joins those of a number of European states, including Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, which have supported the Moroccan autonomy proposal, in addition to the 28 African, Arab and Latin American countries that have already opened consulates in Laâyoune and Dakhla, the leading daily said.

Focusing on the development of the Moroccan Sahara, the newspaper noted that Morocco has invested considerable sums in the southern provinces in recent years, launching an economic development and infrastructure program worth $7 billion. This includes the 550-kilometer coastal highway to Dakhla, where the 1.14-billion-euro Dakhla Atlantic mega-port is under construction, and a project for a new international airport.

The construction of a university hospital complex is also underway in Laayoune, as is the expansion of a major vocational training center that already welcomes students from African countries, the Spanish daily added.