Opinion | West Side Stories: As Rabat Deepens Ties with Tel Aviv, Algiers Breaks with Abu Dhabi

When Nicolas Sarkozy, then president of France, visited Tangier on 23 October 2007 to promote his proposed Union for the Mediterranean, he invoked Morocco’s history of protecting Jewish communities as an example of the shared heritage that could underpin Mediterranean cooperation. “Throughout Europe, Jews were being persecuted, while here in Morocco, they were protected,” he said, pointing to a history that remains central to understanding Morocco’s culture and regional policies. Nearly two decades later, as Gaza, Yemen and Iran dominate international headlines, three interconnected developments further west warrant attention: Morocco’s move from normalisation with Israel to a strategic partnership, Algeria’s rupture with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the deepening rivalry between Rabat and Algiers.

Together, they are reshaping the Western Sahara dispute, competition across the Sahel, the Arab Maghreb Union’s stagnation, the future of the western Mediterranean’s 5+5 Dialogue and the Arab League’s search for a common response to regional challenges. For Egypt, the significance lies in how these shifts could affect the security of its western approaches and the wider neighbourhood. As Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso navigate competing offers of security assistance, investment and economic connectivity, the consequences of North Africa’s political divisions reach into Libya, Chad and Sudan. To protect its national security, Egypt needs to encourage a regional order in which the quest for military superiority and economic dominance do not deepen existing divisions. On 16 September 2026, Morocco and Israel agreed to upgrade their diplomatic missions to full embassies, appoint ambassadors, expand air travel and pursue high-level visits and economic agreements covering…