Israel appoints advocate of Morocco's sovereignty over the Sahara as ambassador to the US

With just a few weeks to go before Donald Trump's inauguration as President of the United States on January 20, 2025, the Israeli government has appointed a new ambassador to Washington.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose his former advisor Yechiel Leiter. This conservative rabbi, who previously served under Ariel Sharon, also of the Likud Party, is considered close to the Republican Party.

Leiter is also a strong supporter of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, a recognition announced by Netanyahu on July 17, 2023, in a letter addressed to King Mohammed VI.

Two days before the Israeli decision, Yechiel Leiter had called on the Israeli government, in an article, to follow in the United States' footsteps. «For the sake of regional and global stability, the government of Israel should act immediately. The time to fully recognize Morocco’s southern provinces as an indivisible part of the country, along with its autonomy plan for the Sahrawi, is long overdue», he pleaded.

The ambassadors to the United States of the signatory countries of the Abraham Accords (Morocco, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain) are coordinating their actions on certain issues. They also maintain consultations with the Abraham Accord Caucus, a body that brings together U.S. congressmen from both the Republican and Democratic parties.