Moroccan King: 2017 Marks Return to Sahara Dispute Settlement Principles

King Mohammed VI of Morocco reviews a guard of honor at the National palace during his state visit to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 19, 2016. (Reuters)
King Mohammed VI of Morocco reviews a guard of honor at the National palace during his state visit to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 19, 2016. (Reuters)
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Moroccan King: 2017 Marks Return to Sahara Dispute Settlement Principles

King Mohammed VI of Morocco reviews a guard of honor at the National palace during his state visit to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 19, 2016. (Reuters)
King Mohammed VI of Morocco reviews a guard of honor at the National palace during his state visit to Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, November 19, 2016. (Reuters)

The year 2017 has been the year of “clarity” and return to the standards and principles of the settlement of the dispute over the Moroccan claim to the Sahara, said King Mohammed VI.

“Whereas 2016 was the year of resolve and intransigence, during which we matched action with words to thwart the schemes designed to impinge on our rights, 2017 has been the year of clarity and of a return to the standards and principles for the settlement of the dispute over the ‘Moroccanness’ of the Sahara,” declared the monarch on Sunday in a speech delivered to the nation on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.

He added that this “firm unambiguous” policy has helped put the process back on the right track, thereby halting the plots designed to divert it into the unknown.

King Mohammed VI noted that this was confirmed by the UN Secretary General's report, as well as the Security Council resolution adopted last April, be it in terms of commitment to the frame of reference for a settlement, the appreciation of the autonomy proposal as a negotiating framework, or the determination of the legal and political responsibilities of the real party concerned in this regional dispute.

He underlined that the “proactive, composed and firm manner in which we settled the Guerguerat crisis thwarted the efforts to change the facts on the ground in our Sahara and helped put to rest the myth of the liberated territories peddled by Morocco's enemies.”

In parallel with these developments, international support for the autonomy proposal has continued, as illustrated by the growing number of states that have withdrawn their recognition of the “fictional entity” and by the legal settlement concerning Morocco's economic partnership with a number of influential powers, he added.

The Moroccan King praised in this respect the serious work and effective action undertaken by the Moroccan diplomatic service to defend the country's best interests and enhance its credibility.



UN Urges Israel to Stop Advancement of Settlement

Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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UN Urges Israel to Stop Advancement of Settlement

Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The United Nations calls on Israel to reverse its decision to start work on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

"It would put an end to prospects of a two-state solution," Dujarric told reporters.

"Settlements go against international law... further entrench the occupation."

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced work would start on the long-delayed settlement, a move his office said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups condemned the scheme, calling it illegal and saying the fragmentation of territory would rip up peace plans for the region.

Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either.

The United States responded to Smotrich's announcement by saying that a stable West Bank is in line with the Trump administration's goal for peace in the region.

Asked about Smotrich's statement that Netanyahu and Trump had agreed to the revival of the so-called E1 development, a spokesperson for the US State Department said the US remained focused on ending the war in Gaza and ensuring Hamas will never govern that territory again.

"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," the spokesperson said, while referring to the Israeli government for further information.