[20201215]IN11555_摩洛哥-以色列关系正常化与美国西撒哈拉政策变化.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Morocco-Israel Normalization and U.S. Policy Change on Western Sahara December 15, 2020 On December 10, President Trump announced that Morocco would normalize relations with Israel, and that the United States was recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. Morocco affirmed that normalization will include “official contacts with counterparts and diplomatic relations as soon as possible,” direct flights, and economic and technical cooperation. How quickly these commitments might advance remains to be seen. Moroccos willingness to normalize relations with Israel follows similar moves by the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in September 2020, and comes after Sudan in October announced tentative plans to do so. Arab government decisions formally to normalize relations with Israel have generally come after years of discreet coordination to counter common concerns such as Iran and Islamist populist movements (including the Muslim Brotherhood). These developments raise questions about the future of cooperation and rivalry among key actors in the Middle East, U.S. arms sales to