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After dawn on June 5, 2017, citizens and residents of the State of Qatar flocked to shops and supplies were about to run out, after neighbors closed land, sea and air ports to them. . At this point, Morocco rushed to send aid planes to the small Gulf state, which was a point in the sea of disputes between the Kingdom of Morocco on the one hand and the Emirates and Saudi Arabia on the other hand. However, recent developments on the scene indicate that these tensions are diminishing.
Earlier last November, the UAE became the first Arab country to open a diplomatic mission in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara, which is under the control of Rabat, in support of Morocco after the Polisario Front announced the resumption of its armed conflict.
Almost a month after this step, Israel and Morocco agreed to normalize their relations in an agreement reached with the help of the United States, for the Kingdom to join the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan to conclude. agreements with Israel.
As part of the deal, US President Donald Trump agreed to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara territory, as part of a shift towards decades-old US policy.
Justice and development “at risk”
After the normalization agreement, the Moroccan government has come under criticism from its loyalists abroad. The government is led by the Justice and Development Party, which is considered by some to be the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Morocco, but whose leaders deny their ties to it.
The party has led the government since 2011, when King Muhammad relinquished some powers to avoid the effects of the “Arab Spring” protests, which led to a contrasting position between Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, which led the war against Islamists in the region.
Tarek Atlati, head of the Moroccan Center for Research and Strategic Studies, believes in an interview with Al-Hurra that the world organization of the Brotherhood is currently in a real crisis, not just the party, because of the normalization agreement with Israel.
In the same context, Rachid Lazraq, professor of law and political science at Ibn Tufail University in Morocco, said that the Justice and Development Party is going through a serious crisis but is able to contain it, due to the disagreement. between the pragmatic wings and the bidder within the party regarding standardization.
And Lazraq believes that the party will eventually get “the religious approval of the group – which has always used religion – to normalize itself,” thus securing the electoral bloc that votes for religion in elections scheduled for next year.
‘Summer cloud’
Despite this, Hassan Subaihi, an Emirati academic and political analyst, believes that the next phase between the UAE and Morocco will see the strengthening of relations, after the crisis between them has reached a reduction in the diplomatic level and the withdrawal of ambassadors from the United Arab Emirates. ‘Abu Dhabi and Rabat.
Emirati-Moroccan relations had witnessed tensions in the context of Rabat’s position on the boycott imposed by the Arab Quartet (Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) on Qatar, the dispute over the conflict in Libya and the intervention Abu Dhabi to try to return Israeli tourists stranded in Morocco, after the stopping of air traffic due to the Corona pandemic, Without consulting Rabat, last March.
But Al-Subaihi said, “Relations between the two sides have returned and strengthened more than they were before, and it has become clear to each of their greater importance.”
He added on the Al-Hurra website that “noble attitudes emerge at the right time and in crises, and Morocco has taken up a challenge represented by the recognition of its sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara, which the UAE immediately supported “.
Al-Subaihi described the crisis in the two countries as a “summer cloud”, saying: “The relations which were established by Sheikh Zayed and King Hassan II” remain, which Lazraq agreed, in saying: “Morocco’s relations with the Gulf States are stable, as it is a relationship between the ruling families, especially with the United Arab Emirates.” “.
“Saudi understanding”
At the beginning of last year, the Saudi channel “Al-Arabiya” aired a report questioning the Moroccan character of Western Sahara, which contradicted Riyadh’s position in favor of Morocco on this issue, so Rabat summoned its ambassador to Riyadh. for consultation.
After this report, Morocco withdrew from the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the Houthis in Yemen, saying it was “committed to the initiative for an international political solution”.
The President of the Council for Arab International Relations (Carter), Tariq Al Sheikhan Al-Shammari, called the dispute with Saudi Arabia a “misunderstanding”, referring to Morocco’s “withdrawal from the coalition and its neutral stance on the Gulf crisis and the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi “.
However, he added to the Al-Hurra website that “Morocco’s position must be seen in the context of its commitment to its relations with the West and distance itself from what is happening.”
He stressed that Rabat has close relations with Europe and has reservations on some issues because of it. He said: “I think Saudi Arabia understands this.”
“The first Al-Tabtin ‘”
Regarding the UAE’s efforts to include Morocco in the standardization package, Al-Subaihi said Abu Dhabi “leaves the Arabs free to choose and does not insist or pressure any country.” But he added: “The UAE now has great Arab and international weight, and this still makes it easier for them to attract Arab countries.”
Subaihi agrees with what analysts and politicians have said that the agreement between Israel and Morocco is only a step towards reopening the representative office between the two countries after it closed in 2002.
Sobhi said Morocco’s relations with Israel predate recent normalization agreements. “In fact, Morocco was the first to be imprinted with Israel by the Arabs,” he said.
He attributed Morocco’s delay in joining Arab countries that have agreed to normalize relations with Israel to “interests”, saying: “What governs relations between countries are interests which include the American recognition of the Moroccan sovereignty over the Moroccan Sahara ”.
“The American recognition of the sovereignty of Morocco over Western Sahara will strengthen the normalization between Morocco and Israel. The interests are general, leading to the strengthening of relations and commitment to the agreements, and this is what happened. in the agreement with Morocco, ”he said.
In this context, Lazraq asserts that Morocco’s relationship with Israel goes beyond the support of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia for Moroccan files in exchange for normalization, referring to “Moroccan Jews, who are the children of the Moroccan community. inside Israel, considering that the Moroccan monarch is the commander of the faithful, and the Principality’s link of the faithful to the Islamic and Jewish religions. “.
He explained that Morocco considers its large Jewish community inside Israel to be under royal patronage, noting that “Moroccan nationality does not lose,” which keeps around one million Jews of Moroccan descent living in Israel in retaining their Moroccan nationality, and therefore a special relationship was born between Morocco and Israel.
Where is Qatar?
Morocco’s return to the Saudi-Emirati alliance raises questions about Qatar’s position, despite information being leaked about a reconciliation close to the Gulf, but Al-Subaihi does not think Morocco was far from the alliance. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi until he returned to it, saying, “The Kingdom stood by Qatar’s side because of the interests and good relations between them.” .
“Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates knew full well that Morocco would find out that Qatar is not the one who determines the future of the region, and this was proven by evidence when Rabat needed to back up and back a solution to the Sahara problem, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were ready, ”he added.
While Lazraq said, “The Gulf in general has always been on the side of Morocco, which has encountered this reciprocity. As for the Gulf crisis, it has had repercussions on Morocco, which preferred to keep the same distance from them. two parts.”
Lazraq believes that Morocco’s position on the Gulf crisis has not changed, despite the recent notable rapprochement between it and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, saying: “Rabat is clear on the need to resolve the differences for address the challenges the region is currently facing, in particular Iran. ” It is likely that Morocco will play a mediating role in this crisis.
Al-Shammari said: “Morocco did not take Qatar into account when it returned to the Saudi-Emirati alliance, because it has historic relations with the two countries.”
He added: “This tripartite alliance does not target Qatar, but it does not comfort it.”
He ruled out that the normalization agreement would have an impact on Rabat’s rapprochement with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, saying: “The main country of this quadripartite alliance, which is Saudi Arabia, has not normalized its relations with Israel . “
Israeli reports said that “Riyadh had a role to play in promoting an agreement between Israel and Morocco” and that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, was a key party in the negotiations with the king of Morocco Mohammed. VI concerning the resumption of relations with Israel.
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