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Morocco Recalls Tunisia Ambassador after Saied Receives Polisario Chief

Tunisia's President Kais Saied welcomes the head of the Polisario Front movement Brahim Ghali, upon his arrival in Tunis, Tunisia August 26, 2022. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
Tunisia's President Kais Saied welcomes the head of the Polisario Front movement Brahim Ghali, upon his arrival in Tunis, Tunisia August 26, 2022. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
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Morocco Recalls Tunisia Ambassador after Saied Receives Polisario Chief

Tunisia's President Kais Saied welcomes the head of the Polisario Front movement Brahim Ghali, upon his arrival in Tunis, Tunisia August 26, 2022. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
Tunisia's President Kais Saied welcomes the head of the Polisario Front movement Brahim Ghali, upon his arrival in Tunis, Tunisia August 26, 2022. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)

Morocco recalled its ambassador to Tunisia on Friday after Tunisian President Kais Saied received the head of the Polisario Front movement that is seeking independence for Western Sahara, a territory Morocco regards as its own.

Morocco said Tunisia's decision to invite Brahim Ghali to a Japanese development summit for Africa that Tunis is hosting this weekend was "a grave and unprecedented act that deeply hurts the feelings of the Moroccan people".

The row opens a new front in a series of disputes over Western Sahara that has already dragged in Spain and Germany and escalated an overarching regional rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, the Polisario's main backer.

Tunisia has this year grown closer to Algeria, its most populous neighbor and one upon which it relies for energy, with Saied meeting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in July.

Tunisia this weekend is hosting the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which will include heads of state from several African countries.

Tunisia, in response to Morocco's decision, announced it was recalling its ambassador to Rabat for consultation.

Tunisia's ministry of foreign affairs said in a statement early on Saturday that the country maintains its complete "neutrality over Western Sahara issue in compliance with international legitimacy".

It said the African Union had circulated a memorandum inviting all members of the African Union, including the head of the Polisario Front movement, to participate in the activities of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit in Tunisia.

Also, the president of the African Commission extended a direct individual invitation to Brahim Ghali to attend the summit, the statement said.

Senegalese President Macky Sall, who is currently chair of the African Union, is scheduled to speak. The African Union recognizes Western Sahara as a member, but African states are split over both the Polisario and the territory's independence.

In a terse foreign ministry statement, Morocco said it would no longer take part in the summit. It also accused Tunisia of having recently "multiplied negative positions" against Morocco, and said its decision to host Ghali "confirms its hostility in a blatant way".

In 2020 the United States recognized Rabat’s sovereignty over Western Sahara in return for Morocco's agreeing closer ties with Israel.

Since then, Morocco has taken a tougher stance over Western Sahara, withdrawing its ambassadors to Spain and Germany until they moved closer to its stance on the territory.

Algeria has withdrawn its own ambassador to Spain, a major customer for Algerian gas, after Madrid's sudden shift on Western Sahara.

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Israel Seeks to Maintain Areas of Control and Influence in Syrian Territory

Military mobility of Israeli army continues on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams region of Golan Heights in Syria on December 19, 2024 (Anadolu Agency)
Military mobility of Israeli army continues on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams region of Golan Heights in Syria on December 19, 2024 (Anadolu Agency)
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Israel Seeks to Maintain Areas of Control and Influence in Syrian Territory

Military mobility of Israeli army continues on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams region of Golan Heights in Syria on December 19, 2024 (Anadolu Agency)
Military mobility of Israeli army continues on the Syrian-Israeli border in the Majdal Shams region of Golan Heights in Syria on December 19, 2024 (Anadolu Agency)

Israel plans to maintain areas of “control” (occupation) and “influence” (intelligence) in Syrian territory, according to a new operational concept that security officials developed for the new reality in Syria that emerged following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Senior officials in Israel said that the country would need to maintain a 15 km operational perimeter within Syrian territory, where the Israeli army would maintain a presence to ensure that allies of the new regime couldn’t launch missiles toward the Golan Heights, according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
They also noted the necessity of a “sphere of influence” extending 60 km into Syria, under Israeli intelligence control, to monitor and prevent potential threats from developing.
The new operational concept came a few days after Israeli officials confirmed that their forces will not withdraw from the border buffer zone and the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
Last week, the Kan public broadcaster said in an unsourced report that the new Syrian leadership has asked the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from the buffer zone.
Israeli officials told Kan that they have received no official request on the matter, adding that the Israeli army’s presence at and across the border is necessary to protect its security.
Last month, just hours after factions of the Syrian opposition swept president Bashar al-Assad from power, Israel captured the buffer zone, which was created following the Yom Kippur War of 1967. They also seized the Syrian side of Mount Hermon.
During a visit to Mount Hermon last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that his troops would remain stationed inside Syria “until another arrangement can be found that guarantees Israel’s security.”
Also, Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks across Syria, saying the strikes were aimed at keeping military weapons away from extremists.
According to Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli official said that while Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's de facto leader, had sent messages to Israel claiming that his forces weren’t seeking conflict, Israel remained skeptical. “This might hold true for a year, two years, maybe even 10 or 20”, he said.
“But no one can guarantee that eventually, they won’t turn against us – and these are highly dangerous people. (Ahmed) Al-Sharaa’s current goal is to lift sanctions on Syria to bring in foreign funds. But in the long run, Israel must maintain a control zone and a sphere of influence in Syria,” the official said.
He also expressed hope that Israel would receive full backing against threats from Syria and Lebanon after the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
“In the meantime, we’ll have to remain there, ensuring a 15-km missile-free zone under our control, as well as a 60-km sphere of influence, to prevent threats from developing. We’re building an operational concept for this new reality,” he said.
Israel was also concerned about the potential entrenchment of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Syria, seemingly ignored by al-Sharaa, according to the newspaper.
“We won’t allow their establishment in Syria just as we prevented Iran’s foothold there,” the official said.
“We estimate that al-Sharaa prefers to keep them there so they can act against Israel, giving him plausible deniability,” he added.
These remarks came while Israeli officials were reportedly astounded by what they described as the West's “blindness” toward the regime of Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.