WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 – RIA Novosti. Morocco has in recent months begun to link the opening of its full-fledged embassy in Tel Aviv to the recognition of Western Sahara by Israel as part of the kingdom. informs The American portal Axios, citing sources.

Officials said the Israeli government has decided not to deal with the issue for now. According to them, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the Moroccan side is using recognition as an excuse not to open a full-fledged embassy in Tel Aviv due to criticism in the kingdom.

Israeli officials believe the country’s new government will have no problem recognizing Western Sahara as part of Morocco, pointing to the hopes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the kingdom in the coming months.

In January 2021, the Israeli diplomatic mission resumed its activities in Morocco after 20 years.

In Israel, at the end of December 2022, a government led by Netanyahu was sworn in before parliament.

Western Sahara is a region in northwest Africa. Since 1884 the area has been a Spanish colony. In 1973, the People’s Liberation Front (POLISARIO) was founded in Western Sahara. In 1975, with the active pressure of Morocco and Mauritania, an agreement was signed in Madrid on the transfer of Spain’s northern part of Western Sahara to Morocco and the southern part to Mauritania. In 1976, the Polisario Front declared an independent state – the Sahara Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). SADR was recognized by several dozen states of the world at various times, but later some countries refused to recognize it.

Now about 80% of the territory of Western Sahara is controlled by Morocco, the rest is controlled by the Polisario Front. Since 1991, a UN peacekeeping mission has been operating in Western Sahara, following the ceasefire agreement, following a referendum established under the authority of the UN Security Council.