Daily US Times: Senior White House adviser and President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner led a delegation from Israel to Morocco on Tuesday. This is the first known direct flight to Morocco from Israel since the two countries agreed to establish full diplomatic ties earlier this month as part of a series of US-brokered normalization accords with Arab countries.
Kushner has overseen the diplomatic push that saw the United Arab Emirates, Sudan, Bahrain and Morocco normalize relations with Israel in historic deals that also brought them major favors from Washington.
As part of the deal, Morocco, which has long welcomed Israeli tourists and is home to a small but centuries-old Jewish community, secured US recognition of its 1975 annexation of the disputed region of Western Sahara, which is not recognized by the UN.
The US decision to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has drawn criticism from the United Nations as well as American allies in Africa and beyond. African observers have said the decision could destabilize the broader region, already struggling against migrant trafficking and Islamist insurgencies. James Baker, former US Secretary of State who served as UN envoy to the Western Sahara, has called the move “an astounding retreat from the principles of international law and diplomacy.”
Israel has traditionally backed the United Nation’s position and has not said whether it will join the United States in recognizing Moroccan control over the area.
Joining Jared Kushner was the head of Israel’s delegation, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. Both of them were expected to meet with Morocco’s King Mohammed VI and other top officials.
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