华盛顿——以色列和摩洛哥同意作为总统实现关系正常化唐纳德·特朗普在他任职的最后几周，周四宣布了四个月来的第四份阿以协议。在一个相关的重大政策转变中，美国同意承认摩洛哥对长期存在争议的西撒哈拉地区的主权主张，作为协议的一部分。
该协议增加了特朗普的中东遗产，而乔·拜登正准备在1月份就任总统，着眼于修改美国在该地区的政策，从以色列到伊朗、伊拉克等地。对于以色列，拜登承诺将回到美国更传统的立场，特别是在巴勒斯坦人及其建国愿望方面。
特朗普表示，以色列和摩洛哥将恢复外交和其他关系，包括立即重新开放特拉维夫和拉巴特的联络处，最终开放大使馆，以及两国航空公司的联合飞越权。
该协议建立在他的主要外交政策成就之一的基础上，在“亚伯拉罕协议”的标题下，赢得了阿拉伯世界对以色列的更广泛承认。对摩洛哥来说，这也是一项重大成就:美国承认其对西撒哈拉的主权，这是联合国不承认的，也是几十年来国际争端的主题。
但对于那些为独立而战并希望就该领土未来举行公投的西撒哈拉人来说，这是对自治希望的打击。这个前西班牙殖民地的人口估计为35万至50万，据信拥有大量近海石油储藏和矿产资源。
该协议也是巴勒斯坦人的又一次挫折，他们强烈抱怨特朗普采取了他们所说的有偏见的亲以色列步骤。他让巴勒斯坦权力机构靠边站，承认耶路撒冷是以色列的首都，将美国大使馆从特拉维夫迁出，大幅削减对巴勒斯坦人的援助，并改变了以色列在巴勒斯坦人声称拥有的土地上建立定居点的非法性。
白宫表示，特朗普和摩洛哥国王穆罕默德六世已经同意，摩洛哥将“恢复摩洛哥和以色列之间的外交关系，扩大经济和文化合作，以促进地区稳定。”
“今天又一次历史性的突破!我们的两个伟大的朋友以色列和摩洛哥王国已经同意建立全面外交关系——这是中东和平的一个重大突破!”特朗普发微博。
特朗普在承认摩洛哥对西撒哈拉的主权主张时指出，在美国于1776年宣布脱离英国独立仅一年后，摩洛哥是第一个承认美国为独立国家的国家。
特朗普说:“因此，我们承认他们对西撒哈拉的主权是恰当的。”。
该协议是总统高级顾问女婿贾里德·库什纳和他的首席国际谈判代表阿维·伯克维兹会谈的结果。库什纳说，西撒哈拉争端是一个时代错误，需要采取大胆的行动来解决。他将其比作特朗普承认以色列对戈兰高地的主权，戈兰高地是从叙利亚夺取的。
库什纳说:“这进一步加强了以色列的安全，同时为摩洛哥和以色列创造了深化经济联系和改善人民生活的机会。”。
拉巴特王宫在一份声明中表示，国王已向特朗普承诺，他将为直飞航班提供便利，以运送摩洛哥裔犹太人和以色列游客往返摩洛哥，并重新开放2002年关闭的联络处。
随着特朗普政府寻求扩大外交框架，摩洛哥是第四个承认以色列的阿拉伯国家。外交框架始于今年夏天，当时犹太国家和阿拉伯联合酋长国达成了一项协议。
巴林和苏丹也纷纷效仿，政府官员也一直试图将沙特阿拉伯纳入其中。
所有这些国家在地理上远离以色列-巴勒斯坦冲突，这使它们更容易为了自己的特殊利益与以色列和美国达成协议。摩洛哥与沙特阿拉伯也有着密切的联系，沙特阿拉伯默认支持与以色列的正常化进程，即使在与巴勒斯坦人建立和平处于停顿的时候。
摩洛哥是一个有着数百年犹太历史的国家，一直有传言说它准备与以色列建立关系。
在1948年以色列建立之前，摩洛哥是大量犹太人的家园，其中许多人的祖先在西班牙宗教裁判所期间从西班牙和葡萄牙移民到北非。今天，成千上万的以色列犹太人将他们的血统追溯到摩洛哥，使其成为该国最大的以色列社会部门之一。一个估计有几千人的犹太人小社区继续生活在摩洛哥。
摩洛哥与以色列有着多年的非正式关系。20世纪90年代，在以色列与巴勒斯坦达成临时和平协议后，他们建立了低级别的外交关系，但这些关系在2000年第二次巴勒斯坦起义爆发后中断。
从那以后，这种非正式的联系一直持续着，每年估计有50，000名以色列人前往摩洛哥，了解犹太社区并追溯他们的家庭历史。
王宫表示，国王周四告诉巴勒斯坦总统马哈茂德·阿巴斯，他“一贯支持巴勒斯坦事业”，摩洛哥支持两国解决方案。
美国对摩洛哥西撒哈拉主张的支持一直是关于外交关系的传言，但未经证实。自1975年以来，摩洛哥一直宣称这片广袤的沙漠地区为其“南部省份”，因为总部位于阿尔及利亚南部的波利萨里奥阵线希望获得独立。最近与波利萨里奥阵线的争吵使这个问题重新成为头条新闻。
波利萨里奥阵线谴责了这一举动，称其违反了国际法。
“所表达的立场是唐纳德·特朗普是对《联合国宪章》及其决议和国际合法性的公然违反，也是对寻求和平解决西撒哈拉和摩洛哥王国之间冲突的努力的重大障碍。
一位发言人说，联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯对以摩协议表示欢迎，但对西撒哈拉问题持保留态度。
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Israel, Morocco to normalize ties; US shifts W Sahara policy
WASHINGTON -- Israel and Morocco have agreed to normalize relations as PresidentDonald Trump, in his final weeks in office, announced the fourth Arab-Israeli agreement in four months on Thursday. In a related major policy shift, the United States agreed to recognize Morocco’s claim over the long-disputed Western Sahara region as part of the deal.
The agreement adds to Trump's Mideast legacy just as Joe Biden prepares to assume the presidency in January with an eye toward revamping America's policies in the region, from Israel to Iran, Iraq and beyond. With Israel, Biden has pledged to return to a more traditional U.S. position, particularly regarding the Palestinians and their aspirations for statehood.
Trump said Israel and Morocco would restore diplomatic and other ties, including the immediate reopening of liaison offices in Tel Aviv and Rabat, the eventual opening of embassies and joint overflight rights for the two nations' airlines.
The agreement builds on one of his main foreign policy accomplishments, winning broader recognition of Israel in the Arab world under the rubric of the “Abraham Accords.” For Morocco, it's a major achievement, too: U.S. recognition of its claim to Western Sahara, something not recognized by the United Nations and the subject of an international dispute for decades.
But it's a blow for hopes for autonomy for those in Western Sahara who have fought for independence and want a referendum on the territory's future. The former Spanish colony, with a population estimated at 350,000 to 500,000, is believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits and mineral resources.
The deal is also one more setback for the Palestinians, who have bitterly complained about what they say are biased pro-Israel steps from Trump. He has sidelined the Palestinian Authority, recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv, slashed assistance for the Palestinians and reversed course on the illegitimacy of Israeli settlements on land claimed by the Palestinians.
The White House said Trump and Morocco's King Mohammed VI had agreed that Morocco would “resume diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel and expand economic and cultural cooperation to advance regional stability.”
“Another HISTORIC breakthrough today! Our two GREAT friends Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco have agreed to full diplomatic relations – a massive breakthrough for peace in the Middle East!” Trump tweeted.
In recognizing Morocco's claim over Western Sahara, Trump noted that Morocco had been the first country to recognize the United States as an independent nation just a year after the U.S. declared its independence from Britain in 1776.
“It is thus fitting we recognize their sovereignty over the Western Sahara,” Trump said.
The deal is the result of talks conducted by the president's senior adviser, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and his chief international negotiator, Avi Berkowitz. Kushner said the dispute over Western Sahara was an anachronism that needed to be addressed by a bold move. He likened it to Trump's recognition of Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which was seized from Syria.
“It further enhances Israel’s security, while creating opportunities for Morocco and Israel to deepen their economic ties and improve the lives of their people,” Kushner said.
In a statement, the palace in Rabat said the king had promised Trump he would facilitate direct flights to transport Jews of Moroccan origin and Israeli tourists to and from Morocco and re-open the liaison offices, which had been closed in 2002.
Morocco is the fourth Arab nation to recognize Israel as the Trump administration seeks to expand a diplomatic framework that began over the summer with an agreement between the Jewish state and the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain and Sudan have followed suit and administration officials have also been trying to bring Saudi Arabia into the grouping.
All these countries are geographically far removed from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making it easier to strike deals with Israel and the U.S. for their own particular interests. Morocco also has close ties with Saudi Arabia, which has given its tacit support to the normalization process with Israel, even at a time when peacemaking with the Palestinians is at a standstill.
Morocco, a country with centuries of Jewish history, has long been rumored to be ready to establish ties with Israel.
Before Israel’s establishment in 1948, Morocco was home to a large Jewish population, many of whose ancestors migrated to North Africa from Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition. Today, hundreds of thousands of Israeli Jews trace their lineage to Morocco, making it one of the country’s largest sectors of Israeli society. A small community of Jews, estimated at several thousand people, continues to live in Morocco.
Morocco has for years had informal ties with Israel. They established low-level diplomatic relations during the 1990s following Israel’s interim peace accords with the Palestinians, but those ties were suspended after the outbreak of the second Palestinian uprising in 2000.
Since then, the informal ties have continued, and an estimated 50,000 Israelis travel to Morocco each year on trips to learn about the Jewish community and retrace their family histories.
The palace said the king told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that his “position in support of the Palestinian cause is constant” and that Morocco supports a two-state solution.
U.S. backing for Morocco's Western Sahara claim has long been a rumored, but unconfirmed, bargaining chip in talk about diplomatic ties. Morocco had claimed the vast desert area as its “southern provinces” since 1975 as the Polisario Front, based in southern Algeria, wants its independence. A recent dust-up with the Polisario brought the issue back into headlines.
The Polisario denounced the move, saying it was a violation of international law.
“The position expressed byDonald Trumpis a blatant violation of the United Nations Charter and its resolutions and of international legitimacy and constitutes a major obstacle to efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict between Western Sahara and the Kingdom of Morocco,” it said in a statement.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the Israel-Morocco agreement but reserved judgment on the Western Sahara, according to a spokesman.
