In a groundbreaking move, the King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, extended an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the North African nation. The invitation comes as a result of Israel’s willingness to recognize Moroccan sovereignty in the disputed Western Sahara region, as announced by the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday.

The letter from the Moroccan monarch, described as “warm” by the PMO, expressed a desire to strengthen the ties between the two nations through the visit. While no specific date for the visit has been set, the invitation marks a significant step, as it will be the first time Netanyahu visits one of the Arab countries that established diplomatic relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords. Previous attempts to visit the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain haven’t worked out.

The invitation follows Morocco’s announcement on Monday that Israel had informed Rabat of its decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the contested Western Sahara region. In response, King Mohammed VI received a letter from Netanyahu confirming Israel’s recognition of Morocco’s territorial rights in Western Sahara.

Israel has been actively working to strengthen ties with its Arab ally, even as its current government has caused some concerns among its partners in the Abraham Accords. Recently, Morocco postponed a scheduled meeting of Israel and other Arab allies that it was set to host in the summer due to escalating violence in the West Bank. Despite this, both Rabat and Jerusalem are determined to solidify their relations since the normalization agreement was announced in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. The deal, brokered by the Trump administration, also saw the US recognizing Morocco’s unilateral annexation of Western Sahara. Notably, the Biden administration has not reversed the US’s recognition of the disputed territory.

The Western Sahara dispute has roots in 1975 when Spain withdrew as the colonial ruler, leading to a 15-year war between Morocco and the Polisario Front movement, which sought independence in the territory. Currently, Morocco controls almost 80 percent of the Western Sahara and claims the entire territory, which is rich in phosphates and fisheries, as its sovereign land. While Morocco advocates for limited autonomy in the vast desert territory, the Polisario Front continues to push for independence and has called for a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination, though such a vote has yet to occur.

Netanyahu has also received an invitation to attend the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in May, which could mark his first trip to the United Arab Emirates.

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