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☆ Spain's Top Court Rules Mass Deportation of Minors to Morocco Was Illegal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID (Reuters) - The deportation of hundreds of Moroccan youths from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in August, 2021 after a mass border crossing was illegal, Spain's Supreme Court ruled on Monday, dealing a blow to the leftist coalition government's immigration policy. The judges dismissed the government's appeal against an earlier ruling by a local court in Ceuta that had ordered Madrid to ensure the youths' return to Spain as it deemed their expulsion unlawful. Around 700 of them were sent back to Morocco in mid-August following an agreement between the neighbouring countries. The Supreme Court said the minors' collective expulsion flouted not only domestic immigration laws, but also breached the European Human Rights Convention. Authorities in Ceuta failed to meet any of these conditions, the Supreme Court ruled, adding that the minors' rights to physical and moral integrity were violated, as they were "put in serious danger of suffering physical or psychological harm".

Persons: flouted, David Latona, Andrei Khalip, Ed Osmond Organizations: Interior Ministry, Human Rights, European Locations: MADRID, Ceuta, Madrid, Spain, Rabat, Western, Morocco

☆ Israel, Gaza and What We Get Wrong - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nicholas Kristof | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +8 min

We’ve reached a searing milestone: In just five weeks of war, half of 1 percent of Gaza’s population has been killed. The second myth is that Palestinians can be put off indefinitely, strung along by Israel, the United States and other countries. I’m all for surgical strikes against Hamas and I would be delighted if Israel managed to end extremism in Gaza. It also means renouncing what Netanyahu called “mighty vengeance” that transforms entire neighborhoods of Gaza into rubble, with bodies buried underneath. If you weep only for Israeli children, or only for Palestinian children, you have a problem that goes beyond your tear ducts.

Persons: —, We’ve, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Isaac Herzog, Israel, Roy Grow, Mohammed Alshannat, ”, Netanyahu, don’t Organizations: Hamas, Health Ministry, United Nations, Bank, Carleton College Locations: Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Western Sahara, Xinjiang, Israel, United States, Palestinian, Palestine, Saudi Arabia

☆ Fact Check: Co-op statement on Israeli produce presented out of context
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A statement on the website of British food retailer the Co-operative Group (Co-op), which details the company’s policy on sourcing ingredients and trading with Israeli settlements or occupied territories, is being presented out of context online. “On this basis, we do not source any produce or own-brand products from the Israeli settlements. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are deemed illegal by most countries and are a bitter issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The policy is years old and applies to produce sourced from Israeli settlements, not all of Israel. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.

Persons: ‘, “, Read Organizations: Twitter, Facebook, Israel, Rights, Trade, West Bank, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Palestinian, Territories, Western Sahara, Israel

☆ Barcelona Dockers Refuse to Handle Military Material Amid Gaza War
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The decision on Monday is mostly symbolic and seeks to encourage other Spanish ports to follow suit, the secretary of the OEPB union, Josep Maria Deop, told Reuters on Tuesday. Deop said organisations promoting peace could help the union figure out which containers contain military equipment. He said he was convinced there were military shipments from Barcelona because "it's a port that moves all types of goods". Israel has been targeting Hamas military operations in Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas Islamists on Israeli towns that left 1,400 people dead and 240 abducted. Spain exported military equipment worth 1.3 billion euros ($1.39 billion) in the first half of 2022, with shipments to Israel amounting to 9 million euros, according to the latest available official data.

Persons: Joan Faus BARCELONA, Josep Maria Deop, Deop, EFE, Joan Faus, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: stevedores, Reuters, Western Locations: Barcelona, Gaza, Belgian, Barcelona's, Israel, Spain, Libya, Western Sahara, Nicaragua

[1/2] Shipping containers move at the port of Barcelona, after stevedores' union has refused to load and unload any military material amid the war in Gaza and urged the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict, in Barcelona, Spain, November 7, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce Acquire Licensing RightsBARCELONA, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The Barcelona port stevedores' union has refused to load and unload any military material amid the war in Gaza and urged the protection of civilian populations in areas of conflict, following a similar move by Belgian transport unions last week. The decision on Monday is mostly symbolic and seeks to encourage other Spanish ports to follow suit, the secretary of the OEPB union, Josep Maria Deop, told Reuters on Tuesday. He said he was convinced there were military shipments from Barcelona because "it's a port that moves all types of goods". Israel has been targeting Hamas military operations in Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas Islamists on Israeli towns that left 1,400 people dead and 240 abducted.

Persons: stevedores, Josep Maria Deop, Deop, EFE, Joan Faus, Andrei Khalip, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Shipping, REUTERS, Rights, stevedores, Reuters, Western, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Gaza, Spain, Rights BARCELONA, Belgian, Barcelona's, Israel, Libya, Western Sahara, Nicaragua

In addition, 239 hostages were taken from Israel into Gaza by the militant group. Security Council resolutions are legally binding. Violence has surged in the West Bank since the war between Israel and Gaza broke out on Oct. 7. The besieged Gaza Strip’s 2.3 million people don’t have access to clean, running water after Israel cut off water and electricity to the enclave. Israel said it has opened two water lines in southern Gaza within the past week.

Persons: Israel, Biden, OCHA, hunches Organizations: Health Ministry, West Bank, UN, GAZA, UNITED NATIONS, . Security Council, United, United Arab Emirates, The, General Assembly Locations: Gaza, Israel, Russia, israel, United Arab, The UAE, United States, China, Western Sahara, Colombia, JENIN CAIRO, Jenin, Egypt

☆ Four blasts kill one, injure three in Western Sahara, Moroccan authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RABAT, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Four explosions late on Saturday in the city of Smara in Morocco-controlled Western Sahara killed one man and injured three others, local authorities said. The blasts damaged two houses, authorities said in a statement, without adding further details. Morocco considers Western Sahara its own territory, but the Algerian-backed Polisario Front wants an independent state there. Morocco has said autonomy is the most it can offer to the territory as a political solution. Twenty-eight other countries - mostly African and Arab - have opened consulates in Dakhla or the city of Laayoune, in what Morocco sees as tangible support for its Western Saharan rule.

Persons: Ahmed Eljechtimi, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Western, Polisario Front, UN, Polisario, UN Security, Thomson Locations: RABAT, Smara, Morocco, Western Sahara, Algerian, Polisario, Algeria, U.S, Dakhla, Laayoune

[1/3] Yemenis gather during a pro-Palestinian protest to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, in Sanaa, Yemen, October 20, 2023. Some demanded military action against Israel, others said Arab states should consider using other methods to stop the bombardment of Gaza. Egypt borders Gaza but has not been able to negotiate an opening of its crossing to allow in aid. Hundreds of people marched in central Tunis, a smaller protest than ones that have rallied there against Israel's Gaza campaign in recent days. On Iraq's border with Jordan, hundreds of supporters of Iran-backed paramilitary groups staged a sit-in to voice support for Gaza, brought in by bus.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed Gomaa, Souhail Ben Nasser, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Marisa, Hussein Samir, Suleiman al, Nafisa Eltahir, Amina Ismail, Tarek Amara, Ali Kucukgocmen, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Angus McDowall, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Houthi Media, REUTERS, Israel, Gaza, U.S ., Indonesian, U.S, Iran, Bulent Usta, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Sanaa, Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, AMMAN, CAIRO, Jakarta, Tunis, Israel, Palestinian, Beyazit, Palestine, Cairo, Morocco, Western Sahara, America, Asia, U.S, Kuala Lumpur, Jaipur, Mumbai, Iraq, Tehran, Baghdad, Iran, Khalidi, Amman, Nafisa, Istanbul, Rabat

☆ Mysterious ‘fairy circles’ of Namibia and Australia aren’t so rare after all, study says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Mindy Weisberger | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Round discs of barren dirt known as “fairy circles” look like rows of polka dots that can spread for miles over the ground. Fairy circles were previously spotted only in the arid lands of Southern Africa’s Namib Desert and the outback of Western Australia. The results showed 263 dryland locations where there were circular patterns similar to fairy circles in Namibia and Australia. Fairy circles’ mysterious originsThe study authors also compiled environmental data where circles were spotted, collecting evidence that might hint at what causes them to form. But the question “What shapes fairy circles?” is complex, and factors that create fairy circles may differ from site to site, the study authors reported.

Persons: ”, Emilio Guirado, Guirado, “, Stephan Getzin, Getzin, Fiona Walsh, Walsh, ” Walsh, ” Guirado, Mindy Weisberger Organizations: CNN, National Academy of Sciences, Multidisciplinary Institute, Environmental Studies, University of Alicante, University of Göttingen, University of Western, “, Scientific Locations: Southern, Western Australia, Spain, Namibia, Australia, Africa, Western Sahara, of Africa, Madagascar, Midwestern Asia, Southwest Australia, Germany, University of Western Australia, Northern Territory

☆ France says controversy over Morocco aid misplaced
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Paris and Rabat have had a difficult relationship in recent years notably over the issue of Western Sahara, which Morocco wants France to recognise as Moroccan. "This is a misplaced controversy," Catherine Colonna told BFM television when asked why Morocco had not made an official request to Paris for urgent assistance despite accepting help from Spain, Britain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. "We are ready to help Morocco. Paris has made 5 million euros ($5.4 million) available for non-governmental organisations operating in Morocco, Colonna said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told France 2 earlier on Monday that Rabat, a "brotherly" nation, had the capabilities to cope alone with the rescue efforts.

Persons: Catherine Colonna, BFM, Colonna, Emmanuel Macron, Morocco's King Mohammed VI, Gerald Darmanin, John Irish, Nicolas Delame, David Holmes Organizations: United, France, Polisario, Western, Observatory, Immigration, Thomson Locations: Morocco, France, Paris, Rabat, Western Sahara, Moroccan, Spain, Britain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, It's, Algeria, Algiers

☆ Algeria to allow Morocco flights after quake despite bad ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows a damaged building on the road between Amizmiz and Ouirgane, following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9, 2023. REUTERS/Ahmed El Jechtimi Acquire Licensing RightsALGIERS, Sept 9 (Reuters) - Morocco's deadly earthquake prompted Algeria, which cut ties with its neighbour two years ago, to put aside the countries' bad relations and open its air space to aid flights. The border between Algeria and Morocco, the most powerful countries in the region, has been closed since 1994 and Algiers closed its air space to Morocco and suspended diplomatic relations in 2021, accusing Rabat of "hostile acts". During deadly wildfires in Algeria during each of the past three summers, Morocco has made offers of aid that Algiers has publicly ignored. Many Algerians voiced solidarity with Morocco on social media, some saying they hoped the bad political ties would not get in the way of helping their neighbour.

Persons: Ahmed El Jechtimi, Abdelkader Bengrina, Al Bina, Lamine Chikhi, Tarek Amara, Angus McDowall, Mark Heinrich, Frances Kerry Organizations: REUTERS, Rabat, Foreign Ministry, Thomson Locations: Amizmiz, Morocco, ALGIERS, Algeria, Algiers, Western Sahara, North Africa, Europe

The visit was Staffan de Mistura’s first to the Western Sahara since he was appointed in 2021 to oversee U.N. efforts to guide negotiations that date back more than three decades. Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony in 1975, sparking a conflict with the pro-independence Polisario Front. The region is believed to have considerable offshore oil deposits and mineral resources and is slightly larger than the United Kingdom. The United Nations said in a statement leading up to the trip that he “looked forward to further deepening consultations with all concerned on the prospects of constructively advancing the political process on Western Sahara,” and noted that the visit would precede the publication of a Western Sahara report to the Security Council next month. Morocco referenced its preferred plan to grant the region a form of self-governance that falls short of independence.

Persons: De Mistura, “, Joe Biden hasn't, Mistura's, Joshua Harris, Washington's, Harris, Lounès, ” Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United Nations, Polisario Front, Security, Trump, U.S, Embassy, APS, “, Moroccan Autonomy Initiative Locations: Western, Morocco, Western Sahara, Spanish, Polisario, United Kingdom, United States, Israel, ”, North Africa, Rabat, Algiers, Algeria, Sahara, “ Morocco, Moroccan

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake had a magnitude of 6.8 with an epicentre some 72 km (45 miles) southwest of Marrakech. "When I felt the earth shaking beneath my feet and the house leaning, I rushed to get my kids out. [1/14]Residents rest in central Marrakesh following a powerful earthquake in Morocco, September 9, 2023. It was Morocco's deadliest earthquake since 1960 when a quake was estimated to have killed at least 12,000 people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Marrakech is due to host the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank from Oct. 9.

Persons: Mohamed Azaw, Mohamed Ouhammo, Montasir, Abdellatif Ait, Saida Bodchich, Hannah McKay, Waaziz Hassan, Mohammad Kashani, Zakia Abdennebi, Tarek Amara, Alexander Cornwell, Ahmed Tolba, Jose Joseph, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Adam Makary, Michelle Nichols, Graham Keeley, Josephine Mason, Angus McDowall, Tom Perry, Tomasz Janowski, Frances Kerry, Alexander Smith, Peter Graff, Daniel Wallis Organizations: WHO, Moroccan, Interior Ministry, Geological Survey, Food, High, REUTERS, World Health Organization, UNESCO, . Geological Survey, University of Southampton, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, IMF, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Morocco, U.S, Amizmiz, Asni, Tansghart, Abdellatif Ait Bella, Marrakesh, Huelva, Jaen, Spain, Jemaa, Moroccan, Turkey, Algeria, Tunis, Imsouane, Dubai, Bengaluru, Cairo, New York, Madrid, London

CNN —A French Moroccan national has died and another was detained by Algerian authorities after an incident off the coast of Algeria, according to a French diplomatic source. A family member who says he witnessed the incident told local Moroccan media that two men had been shot dead Tuesday by Algerian authorities and one was arrested. Mohamed Kaisi was found in the water by the Moroccan security forces after the incident, he told local media. The source added that French authorities are in contact with the families of those affected and in communication with Moroccan and Algerian authorities. Moroccan media said both men killed are French Moroccan.

Persons: Bilal Kaisi, Abdelali Meshawer, Ismail Snaby, Kaisi, Mohamed Kaisi, Le360 Organizations: CNN, Moroccan, Polisario Locations: Algeria, Moroccan, Morocco, Algerian, Sahara

☆ Morocco has not applied to join BRICS - state media
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Wu Hong/Pool/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsRABAT, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Morocco has not made a formal request to join the BRICS grouping and will not attend its summit in South Africa, state news agency MAP said on Saturday. Citing an unnamed diplomatic source, MAP denied a statement by South Africa's foreign minister Anil Sooklal who said earlier this month Morocco was among the nations seeking to join the bloc. "South Africa allowed itself to speak about Morocco's ties with the BRICS without prior consultation," it said. Morocco would not attend the BRICS meeting in South Africa, MAP said, adding: "South Africa has in fact always shown a primary hostility towards Morocco and has systematically taken negative and dogmatic positions on the Moroccan Sahara issue." Morocco is attached to a non-divisive multilateralism and has good ties with the rest of BRICS member states, it said.

Persons: Wu Hong, Anil Sooklal, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center, REUTERS, South, Polisario, Thomson Locations: Brazil, Russia, China, South Africa, India, Xiamen, Fujian Province, Morocco, Africa, Algeria, Western Sahara, Moroccan

Spain's Socialist leader and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, salutes his supporters during the general election, in Madrid, Spain, July 23, 2023. Spain has a sticky diplomatic relationship with Morocco over issues including migration, airspace, territorial waters, customs and land borders. Madrid said it regarded Rabat's autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as "serious, credible and realistic". Moroccan media first reported - and welcomed - Sanchez's choice of holiday destination. The site praised Sanchez's closeness to Morocco "although many Spanish politicians reproach him for it", contrasting his stance to that of his political rivals in Madrid.

Persons: Pedro Sanchez, Nacho, Spain's, Sanchez, Podemos, Idoia Villanueva, Villanueva, Miguel Tellado, Vox, David Latona, Angus McDowall, Aislinn Laing, Nick Macfie Organizations: Socialist, REUTERS, Sanchez's Socialists, Polisario, Twitter, People's Party, Onda, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Spanish, Algeria, Polisario, Moroccan, London

☆ Morocco wants normal ties with Algeria, king says
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RABAT, July 29 (Reuters) - King Mohammed VI said on Saturday Morocco hopes for a return to normality and open borders with Algeria amid severed diplomatic ties. Algeria unilaterally cut ties with Morocco in 2021 and halted the flow of a gas pipeline to Spain via Morocco. The Western Sahara dispute has been at the heart of worsening ties between the two countries. Morocco considers the territory its own, but the Algerian-backed Polisario front wants to establish an independent state there. "I should like to tell the leaders and people of our sister nation, Algeria, that no evil will ever be done to them, nor will any harm ever come to them from Morocco," king Mohammed said.

Persons: King Mohammed VI, Mohammed said, Abdelmedjid Tebboune, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Alistair Bell Organizations: Morocco, Moroccan, Polisario, Thomson Locations: RABAT, Algeria, Maghreb, Morocco, Spain, Algerian, Western Sahara, Rabat, Tel Aviv

☆ Israel's workhorse Merkava tank could soon be refilling foreign arsenals depleted by the war in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Israel may be about to export its workhorse Merkava tank for the first time. Israel isn't selling the newest version of the 45-year-old Merkava tank family, the Merkava 5, or even the Merkava 4, which is used in front-line Israeli armored units. An Israeli Merkava tank in the Negev desert in November 1997. Israel Defense Forces/Michael ShvadronThough Israel is small, home to less than 10 million people, it's one of the world's top 10 arms exporters. If Merkava tanks are sold overseas, they may yet end up on surprising battlefields.

Persons: Yair Koles, Israel isn't, Antoine GYORI, Merkava, Mark, Michael Shvadron, Israel —, Efraim Inbar, MENAHEM KAHANA, Recep Erdogan, Michael Peck Organizations: Israel, Service, Israel's Ministry of Defense, Haaretz, Cypriot, El, Getty, Israel Defense Forces, United Arab, Morocco —, US Army, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, Security, Polisario, Iranian, Defense, Foreign Policy, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Arab, European, Turkey, Cyprus, Morocco, Spanish, El Espanol, Israeli, Soviet, Lebanon, Israel's, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Algeria, AFP, Turkish, Russian, Europe, Eastern, Merkavas, Russia, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Forbes

☆ Ombudsman to investigate if Spain delayed migrant rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, June 23 (Reuters) - Spain's ombudsman is to investigate the sinking of a dinghy headed to the Canary Islands from Morocco on Wednesday after more than 30 migrants were feared dead. Migration-focused organisations Walking Borders and Alarm Phone criticised Spain and Morocco this week for not intervening earlier to rescue the vessel's passengers. Two people, a child and an adult man, were found dead while 24 migrants were rescued by Morocco, Spain's maritime rescue service said. The ministry statement said the maritime rescue service complied with international search and rescue procedures. "At no time did the Moroccan authorities ask Spain's rescue service for assistance or mobilisation of resources, except in the final moments when the mobilisation of a helicopter was requested.

Persons: Emma Pinedo, Aislinn Laing, Alison Williams Organizations: Borders, United Nations, Transport, Thomson Locations: MADRID, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, Spain's, Melilla, Spanish, Madrid, Rabat

☆ Israel to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over W.Sahara soon -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RABAT, June 8 (Reuters) - Israel will soon announce its support for Morocco's claim of sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region, Israeli parliament speaker Amir Ohana said on Thursday during a visit to Rabat. The Algerian-backed Polisario Front demands an independent state in Western Sahara. "I am fully aware of the importance of the recognition of the Moroccan Sahara ... Israel should move towards the goal of recognising the Moroccan Sahara just as our closest ally the U.S. did," Ohana told reporters after talks with his Moroccan counterpart. Reuters reported on Wednesday that Israel was considering backing Morocco on Western Sahara and that the issue was being discussed within the Israeli National Security Council (NSC). A diplomatic source told Reuters that Israeli recognition of Moroccan rule over Western Sahara could lead to a full upgrade of Israeli-Moroccan ties.

Persons: Amir Ohana, Donald Trump, Ohana, Benjamin, Netanyahu, Israel, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Polisario Front, Moroccan, Reuters, Israeli National Security Council, . Security, Thomson Locations: RABAT, Israel, Sahara, Rabat, Algerian, Western Sahara, Moroccan, Moroccan Sahara, U.S, Morocco, Western, Polisario, Spain

Morocco considers Western Sahara its own, but the Algeria-backed Polisario front demands an independent state there. The NSC's head, National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi, met Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita on Wednesday, Morocco's foreign ministry said without offering further details. At that meeting, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said: "I hope we will meet very soon in a different desert but with the same spirit." Moroccan media reported a possible plan to reconvene in the Western Sahara town of Dakhla. Holding it in coastal Dakhla could pose a challenge for Washington, which has never followed through on Trump's pledge to open a U.S. consulate in Western Sahara.

Persons: Yair Lapid inaugurates, Moroccan Foreign Ministry Mohcine, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Donald Trump, Tzachi Hanegbi, Nasser Bourita, Eli Cohen, Israel's, Abraham, Dan Williams, Ahmed Eljechtimi, Christina Fincher, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Moroccan Foreign Ministry, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, REUTERS, Wednesday, Western, Reuters, National Security Council, National Security, Israeli, Abraham Accords, Moroccan, Washington, Thomson Locations: Rabat, Morocco, REUTERS JERUSALEM, RABAT, Sahara, Western Sahara, Algeria, Polisario, Israel, statecraft, Moroccan, Spain, NEGEV, Abraham, Dakhla, U.S, Laayoune, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain

☆ Algerian president says Morocco ties have reached 'point of no return'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

CAIRO, March 21 (Reuters) - Algeria's relations with Morocco have reached the point of no return, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune told Al Jazeera on Tuesday. Algeria broke off relations with Morocco in 2021 amid growing tensions over issues that included the dispute over the territory of Western Sahara. Reporting by Omar Abdel-Razak in Cairo; writing by Angus McDowall; editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] The border fence between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave Melilla is seen along a road, December 11, 2014. Bilateral trade rose to 17 billion euros in 2022, making Spain Morocco's biggest trade partner. The disputes underscore Spain's dependence on Morocco to control migration by Moroccans and sub-Saharan Africans seeking to cross the European Union's southernmost border. Some observers say the drop in migration could prove temporary and that Spain remains too dependent on Morocco. For a sustained fall in migration, Spain needs more cooperation with Morocco when it comes to repatriating illegal Moroccan migrants, said Blanca Garces, senior researcher in migration at the Barcelona Centre for International Affairs.

[1/3] Migrants run towards the fence separating Morocco from Spain, after thousands of migrants swam across the border, in Ceuta, Spain, May 19, 2021. Spanish exports to Algeria fell 41% to 1 billion euros ($1.09 billion) in the January-November 2022 period compared with a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Industry. State-owned railway operators Renfe and Adif are working with their Moroccan counterpart to develop new train lines, which could mean 6 billion euros of business. A joint declaration made no mention of Spain's enclaves in Morocco although it reiterated Spain's new position on Western Sahara. Both countries agreed to cooperate on repatriations of illegal migrants.

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