For decades, Western diplomacy has been trapped in a self-defeating illusion that every territorial dispute must end with new borders, new states, and new governments. This obsession with self-determination has led to endless conflict and instability from the Sahara to the Jordan Valley. The idea that peace automatically follows independence has proven disastrously wrong. The only real outcome has been more division, more extremism, and more opportunities for adversaries like Iran to exploit chaos.
That is why the international breakthrough achieved in October 2025 represents a turning point. When the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2797, drafted by the United States, it effectively endorsed Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara. This was not simply a diplomatic success for Rabat. It was a strategic revolution that redefined how the world should approach territorial disputes. It sent a clear message that autonomy under stable, pro-Western governments is far more viable than creating fragile, radicalized microstates destined to fail.
Resolution 2797 ended decades of indecision. By explicitly endorsing Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the “most feasible solution,” the United Nations acknowledged reality. For the first time, there was no reference to a referendum or independence. The world finally accepted that Morocco’s sovereignty is not negotiable and that the path forward lies in pragmatic, locally empowered governance under a strong, moderate state. This shift represents the victory of realism over ideology. It rewards Morocco for its consistent commitment to peace, its economic leadership in Africa, and its deep partnership with both the United States and Israel.
Morocco’s success story is also the success of the Abraham Accords, the American-engineered framework that connected Israel and moderate Arab states in a shared alliance against extremism. When Washington recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in 2020, it did so as part of a broader vision: to consolidate an axis of stability linking Jerusalem, Rabat, and Washington. That vision has worked. Morocco has become a rare example of a Muslim-majority nation that embraces modernization, religious tolerance, and genuine partnership with Israel. Its stability protects not only North Africa but the broader Western order.
The lesson from Morocco is one Israel and the United States can now apply in the Levant. For decades, peace efforts in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza have revolved around the same false premise that full Palestinian Arab independence will lead to coexistence. The results have been catastrophic. Every unilateral Israeli withdrawal has produced more violence. Gaza became a fortress for Hamas, armed and funded by Iran. The idea that the 'West Bank' could follow the same path is an illusion that endangers both Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
The Moroccan model offers a better way forward. It envisions robust local autonomy within the framework of sovereign control, ensuring that security is never compromised. In the Western Sahara, Morocco grants residents wide-ranging self-administration in local affairs, education, and economic development while retaining responsibility for defense and foreign relations. This balance of autonomy and sovereignty prevents separatist chaos while preserving dignity and self-governance. Applied to the Palestinian Arab question, it would mean Israel maintaining full security authority across the 'West Bank' and Gaza while allowing Palestinian Arabs to manage their own civil institutions. This structure could finally deliver stability, prosperity, and genuine peace without empowering extremist forces.
The moral and legal logic behind this model is sound. The 'West Bank' was never part of a sovereign "Palestinian state", meaning Israel’s presence cannot be equated with occupation in the traditional sense. The autonomy approach bypasses decades of sterile legal debate and focuses instead on outcomes that guarantee peace and security. It answers the question not through abstract ideology but through tangible results.
For the United States, this approach aligns perfectly with its strategic interests. Supporting autonomy models that favor moderate allies strengthens pro-American governments, isolates Iran, and restores order in regions long crippled by weak or failed states. Morocco’s stability protects the Atlantic flank of the Arab world just as Israel’s security shields its eastern frontier. Together, they form a single strategic corridor of moderation linking Africa and the Middle East. The same pragmatic diplomacy that secured Morocco’s Sahara should now be used to secure Israel’s heartland.
Morocco has proven that responsible autonomy under strong sovereignty can deliver peace where ideology has failed. Its model turns theoretical diplomacy into workable governance. It protects national integrity while granting local empowerment. It contains radicalism instead of rewarding it. This is the model that must now define American policy in the new century.
Amine Ayoub, a fellow at the Middle East Forum, is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco. Follow him on X: @amineayoubx