US President Donald Trump startled Moroccans when he revealed brokering a normalisation deal with Rabat, as public attention was focused entirely on developments in the Sahara. Firstly, the US recognises Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces, sets up a consulate in Dakhla and invests $3 billion in the area. Nevertheless, this allegedly limited normalisation is wide enough for the US and Israel to affect Morocco's internal and foreign policies. When Moroccan officials discuss normalisation, they twist towards Moroccan Jews in Israel, some of whom find difficulty to visit Morocco despite their origins. However, the logic of open normalisation with Israel while supporting Palestine is a true challenge to concretise.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 18, 2020 02:19 UTC