Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office reiterated on Friday Israel’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara.
The Prime Minister's Office's (PMO) statement followed Netanyahu's Thursday interview with the French news channel LCI. In the interview, Netanyahu showed a map of the region where Western Sahara appeared to be separated from Morocco.
“Israel, under the leadership of Prime Minister Netanyahu, officially recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara in 2023. This recognition was reflected, among other things, in the revision of the geographic map that hangs in the Prime Minister's Office,” the PMO affirmed in a statement.
It further added, “Unfortunately, this correction was not made on an old map that was presented to the prime minister moments before the start of an interview on French television. Israel's policy is unequivocal and has not changed - Israel recognizes Morocco's sovereignty in the Western Sahara.”
Map garners backlash
During the interview, Netanyahu spoke of Israel’s aims in the Gaza war and Iran’s belligerent role in the region, among other topics.
According to Israeli media reports, the map generated severe criticism in Morocco, with social media users slamming Netanyahu.
Following the incident, Hassan Kaabia, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson for Arab media, clarified the mistake in a post on X, formerly Twitter, and apologized for the error.
"Due to an unintentional error, a significant media uproar was caused regarding a map used by Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu that depicted Morocco without its Sahara," Kaabia wrote. "Therefore, I offer clarification to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God grant him victory, and to his dear people and esteemed government, stating: "Morocco is in its Sahara until God inherits the earth and everything upon it."
"We also apologize for this technical error," Kaabia added. "Israel and Morocco are brothers, and we will not back down from our historic recognition of the Moroccan Sahara."
بسبب خطأ غير مقصود تم إثارة ضجة إعلامية كبير بخصوص خارطة استعملها السيد بنيامين نتنياهو تظهر فيها خارطة المغرب مبتورة عن صحرائهالهذا اقدم توضيح لجلالة الملك محمد السادس نصره الله و شعبه العزيز و حكومته الموقرة قائلا:"المغرب في صحرائه إلى ان يرث الله الأرض و ما عليها"كما أننا…
— Hassan Kaabia (@HassanKaabia) May 30, 2024
Western Sahara is disputed by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front which seeks to establish an independent state in the area.
Israel officially recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara on July 17, 2023. In 2020, the US recognized Morocco’s claim to the area as part of the kingdom’s normalization of relations with Israel.
Tovah Lazaroff and Lahav Harkov contributed to this article.