U.S. Recognizes Morocco’s Claim Over Western Sahara in Israel Normalization Deal

Washington, D.C. — In a controversial diplomatic maneuver, the Trump administration announced on Thursday that the United States would officially recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, as part of a broader agreement for Morocco to normalize relations with Israel.

The announcement marked a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy and formed part of a series of deals brokered by President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration aimed at strengthening ties between Israel and Arab nations.

In return for normalizing relations with Israel, Morocco secured U.S. recognition of its claim to Western Sahara — a vast, resource-rich territory along Africa’s Atlantic coast that has been the subject of a decades-long conflict between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.

The Polisario Front, which seeks independence for Western Sahara and represents the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, rejected the U.S. decision, calling it a "blatant violation" of international law and the UN charter.

“This will not change an inch of the reality of the conflict and the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination,” said Oubi Bchraya, the Polisario’s Europe representative. “The Polisario will continue its struggle.”

Western Sahara was added to the United Nations’ list of non-self-governing territories in the wake of Spain’s colonial withdrawal in 1975. That departure sparked a multi-party contest for control of the region involving Morocco, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front.

In 1975, the International Court of Justice acknowledged historical ties between Morocco and Western Sahara but concluded those ties did not equate to sovereignty — a stance echoed by the African Union and the European Union.

Although Mauritania withdrew its claim in 1979, Morocco maintained control over the majority of the territory, which includes valuable phosphate deposits and fishing waters. A 1991 UN-brokered ceasefire called for a referendum on the region’s future, but the vote has yet to occur, due largely to disputes over voter eligibility and demographic shifts, including Morocco’s resettlement of its citizens in the region.

Today, an estimated 500,000 people live in Western Sahara, most of them in the capital, Laayoune, and at least two-thirds are Moroccan settlers.

Critics from both sides of the political aisle in the U.S. expressed concern over the administration’s move. Senator Jim Inhofe, a Republican and long-time advocate for the Sahrawi cause, condemned the decision as “shocking and deeply disappointing.”

“He could have made this deal without trading the rights of a voiceless people,” Inhofe said, suggesting the agreement undermines the long-standing U.S. support for international law and self-determination.

The UN has not appointed a new special envoy to the region in over a year, leaving the future of the peace process and the long-promised referendum uncertain.