search
Jonathan Shavit

Spain, Morocco, and the Sahrawi

On September 13, 2024 something odd happened. The Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares was holding a press conference with invited dignitaries from several countries. There he was, flanked by colleagues from Norway and Ireland and guests from the so-called Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza, which included dignitaries from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Jordan, Nigeria, and Türkiye. The meeting’s goals were clear: an end to the violence between the Palestinians and Israel, an end to the war in Gaza and constructive steps towards a Palestinian state. As Albares stated, “this was the only way.”

I will admit that I am still a proponent of the two-state solution, at some point. However, at the moment that prospect seems further away than ever. What surprised me, was Spain taking this initiative. Why does Spain all of a sudden consider itself to be an honest broker? When observing Spain’s actions up to this point, it should not come as a surprise that Israel’s response has been unfriendly, at best. For instance, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa was invited, yet his Israeli counterpart was not.

It is true, at some point a political solution needs to be implemented. However, a credible mediator is supposed to be trusted by all parties. Has Spain shown any evidence of taking an interest in Israel’s position? Hardly. In May 2024, Spain announced that it would unilaterally recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, alongside Ireland and Norway. On May 17, 2024 it denied a port of call to a ship carrying arms to Israel. And in June, it decided to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. These examples alone show that Spain’s actions have been quite hostile towards Israel.

Spain’s argument goes that the Middle East needs more peace, not arms. In general, this is a noble statement. However, it is completely detached from reality. First of all, the Madrid conference completely ignored the elephant in the room: Hamas. The terror organization has made it abundantly clear that it will never recognize Israel and is determined to build a Palestinian sharia state on its remnants. Secondly, how is Spain planning on realizing the two-state solution? By amputating Israel militarily and engaging in international lawfare against it, without demanding that Iran needs to defang all of its proxies in the region, let alone have the former forgo its own ambition to destroy Israel? It would seem that Spain is unfit to broker a lasting agreement.

Its southern North African neighbor Morocco, however, decided to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel as part of the Abraham Accords in 2020. This does not mean that the Moroccan population in general holds a positive attitude towards Israel. On the contrary, many Moroccans are anti-Israel and consider the Palestinians to be their brethren. There are strong ethnic bonds: both are Arab peoples and predominantly Muslim. It should have come as no surprise that on October 6, 2024 tens of thousands of Moroccans took to the streets to join a pro-Palestinian protest organized by left-wing political parties and the Islamist Justice and Development Party. Keffiyehs were worn, Palestinian flags were waved, support for Hamas and Hezbollah was proclaimed and protesters demanded that Morocco sever ties with Israel. The AFP was present and interviewed a few protesters. A 56-year-old pensioner declared that “Palestine was considered a national cause by Moroccans.” Another declared that she had joined to protest against “Israel’s flagrant injustice and genocide against the Palestinians.” The streets of Morocco’s capital had seen protests against Israel on October 7, 2023 as well, in which the Hamas orgy of tortures, rapes, killings, mutilations, and kidnappings was celebrated. And in 2022 during the FIFA World Cup football, the Moroccan players would celebrate their victories by waving Palestinian flags on the pitch.

Moroccan solidarity with the Palestinians is understandable, and you could call this strong support even admirable, if not for the fact that it smacks of rather shameless hypocrisy. As Moroccans rush to show their support for the Palestinians, they are conspicuously silent about their neighbors to the south: the Sahrawi. Ethnically, the Sahrawi are a combination of Arabs and Berbers who live in the Western Sahara, an area Morocco refers to as its “southern provinces.” When the Sahrawi proclaimed their independent republic in 1976, Morocco and Mauritania had already annexed the territory from the north and south, respectively. Mauritania would eventually relinquish its claim on the territory, leading Morocco to announce that all of Western Sahara belonged to them. An armed struggle ensued between Morocco and the Polisario Front, the Sahrawi’s military arm, which ended with a ceasefire in 1991. Today, Morocco occupies roughly three quarters of the Western Sahara, while the remainder is controlled by the Sahrawi. Sahrawi refugees have lived in camps in neighboring Algeria for decades. And, Morocco built a 2,700 km border wall, which is heavily mined and cuts through the Western Sahara from north to south. Negotiations have reached a stalemate, as Morocco is prepared to grant the Sahrawi autonomy, at most, while the latter seek full independence.

The situation is complex and the territory is contested: Morocco considers the entire Western Sahara as part of their territorial integrity, the Sahrawi wish to establish their independent republic. Tensions started rising after the Abraham Accords, as an important condition for Morocco was American recognition of their sovereignty in the disputed territory – Israel has recognized Moroccan sovereignty as well. Afterwards, Morocco went on a diplomatic offensive, aspiring to get more and more countries to join the US. Interestingly enough, I have never heard Moroccans speak about the plight of the Sahrawi.

This brings me back to Spain, the self-proclaimed peace broker of our time. Under Pedro Sánchez’s government, comprised of the Spanish left and far-left, Palestinian independence has risen to prominence. However, Western Sahara was once known as Spanish Morocco. In fact, Spain retreated from its colony unilaterally in Africa in 1975 through the Madrid Accords, leaving behind a political mess that remains unresolved today. Moreover, after the Abraham Accords, Spain recognized Moroccan sovereignty of the Western Sahara in 2022, abandoning its old stance of support for a popular referendum to determine the territory’s future. In fact, it was Pedro Sánchez who decided that the Sahrawi should bury their dreams of independence.

The Sahrawi quest for independence is actively supported by Algeria, for various reasons, which has contributed significantly to the latter’s rift with Morocco. The Arab League has grown considerably since its inception in 1945 and can boast of 22 members and 7 observers today. Palestine became a full-fledged member in 1976, yet the Sahrawi are not.

In short, the Sahrawi lack the kind of international attention which would put their story in focus. To be blunt, the world does not seem to care. Maybe, if Israel had been involved the Sahrawi would have garnered much more support worldwide. But, they should remain hopeful. Perhaps one day, Moroccans will march through the streets of Rabat carrying Sahrawi flags, demanding an end to the conflict with their southern neighbors. Perhaps one day, Moroccan athletes will celebrate their victories by calling attention to the Sahrawi. Perhaps one day, the honorable Pedro Sánchez will offer himself as peace broker and strive to find a solution for the conflict between these two peoples. Alas, I think that we can sooner expect to see astronauts on Saturn, before that happens.

About the Author
Born in Israel and raised in the Netherlands, I have studied history in the past. Though I still live in the latter, the former continues to amaze, frustrate, encourage, worry, enlighten, and move me. Whenever and wherever, Israel is on my mind.
Related Topics
Related Posts