President Isaac Herzog sent a letter to Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, congratulating the North African leader on the United Nations Security Council’s adoption of a resolution that supports Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara, Herzog’s office stated on Sunday.
The resolution, which the council originally adopted last month, is “a powerful diplomatic achievement and a significant step toward a lasting political solution,” Herzog said.
The president went on to state that he was confident it “will encourage other countries to follow Israel’s example from July 2023, when we recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara.”
Herzog sends his letter on 50th anniversary of Green March
The president’s letter was sent a week after the UN resolution, on November 6, the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Green March in Morocco, when hundreds of thousands of unarmed Moroccans marched into the then-Spanish Sahara.
Spain subsequently ceded control of the territory.
In his letter, Herzog extended his “warmest greetings and heartfelt wishes for the Kingdom of Morocco and its people.” Additionally, he praised Morocco’s “period of peace and prosperity under Your Majesty’s leadership.”
The president noted the friendship between Israel and the North African nation, writing that, “The State of Israel deeply values the rich historical, cultural, and human bonds that unite our two peoples. We view Morocco as a beacon of tolerance and coexistence in our shared region, and we are proud of the friendship and mutual respect that define our growing partnership.”
He also expressed his confidence in additional years of friendship between the nations and that the peace Israel shared with Morocco would only spread to more nations.
“I remain confident that the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our countries will continue to flourish in the years ahead,” Herzog wrote. “May the coming years see the dawn of a new era of harmony throughout the Middle East and North Africa, during which we will succeed in expanding the circle of peace our two nations are committed to building.”
Herzog’s letter comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his congratulations to King Mohammed VI on the UN resolution earlier this month.
“I wish to congratulate His Majesty King Mohammed VI for the endorsement by the UN Security Council of a resolution which supports Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty,” the Prime Minister’s Office cited Netanyahu as saying at the time. “It is a triumph for a long-lasting, determined Moroccan diplomacy!”