RABAT, Morocco

The speaker of Israel’s Knesset (parliament), Amir Ohana, said Thursday he is confident Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will soon recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara region.

"The Sahara is Moroccan. I am happy. Today is a great day, and King Mohammed VI is a great man," Ohana said at a press conference in Rabat following his meeting with Speaker of Morocco’s House of Representatives (parliament) Rachid Talbi Alami.

Ohana arrived in Morocco on Wednesday for a two-day visit upon an invitation from Alami.

The Western Sahara has been the subject of a dispute between Morocco and the Algeria-backed Polisario Front for more than four decades.

Israel and Morocco resumed their diplomatic relations in December 2020 after they were suspended in 2000 following the outbreak of the second Palestinian Intifada.

The North African nation became the fourth Arab country to normalize ties with Israel in 2020 after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar