Israel has reportedly asked the United States to open a consulate in the Sahara

Israel has reportedly been trying to convince the United States of opening a consulate in Western Sahara to help bolster ties between Rabat and Tel Aviv, a Moroccan official told Bloomberg on Wednesday. The attempt is part of Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to normalize ties with Morocco amid his re-election bid, the same source added.

According to the same Moroccan official, it is «not clear if Morocco’s government or Washington is on board with Israel’s effort to leverage its closeness to the Trump administration to make the US the only major power with a mission» in the Sahara, Bloomberg reported.

Efforts to normalize ties with Morocco come as Israeli Prime Minister is struggling to win support ahead of next month’s election. His diplomatic endeavors, if achieved, can bring him the popularity he needs to secure another term as Prime Minister.

Netanyahu’s interest in Morocco

However, as Bloomberg indicates, the Prime Minister’s plans could be hindered by the popular support for the Palestinian cause in Morocco. Indeed, a national march against the US «peace plan» for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is scheduled for Sunday, February 9 in Rabat.

While several NGOs and political parties in Morocco voiced their rejection of the «Deal of the century», Israeli channel Channel13 revealed Monday that Israeli Prime Minister has reportedly been discussing a three-way agreement that would see the United States recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara in exchange for having Rabat take steps to normalize ties with Israel.

Sources told Channel13 that the deal in question has been rejected by former Security Advisor John Bolton. But when the latter left office, Netanyahu had been able to discuss his plan once again with American officials, including US State Secretary Mike Pompeo.

Bloomberg recalls that under the reign of Hassan II, Morocco had played a major role in the rapprochement between Israelis and Arabs. In September 1994, the kingdom opened an office in Tel Aviv. The choice of date was highly symbolic as it marked the first anniversary of the Oslo Accords signed on September 13, 1993 at the White House.

For the record, Morocco decided to cut ties with the Jewish state with the start of the second Palestinian Intifada in 2000.