Morocco-Algeria: Makhzen’s Century of Alignment: From Historical Shifts to the Modern Axis

The recent broadcast of the Hebdo Show Algeria has put a stark spotlight on the long-term foreign policy trajectory of the Moroccan Kingdom, tracing a historical line of strategic alignments that critics describe as a systematic departure from regional solidarity.

The program highlights a deep historical pattern, arguing that the modern geopolitical positioning of the Makhzen is not an overnight development but the continuation of a long historical sequence. This lineage includes landmark treaties such as the 1844 Treaty of Tangier signed under Moulay Abderrahmane with France, and the 1845 Treaty of Lalla Maghnia. Both agreements significantly impacted regional resistance networks and set artificial borders that remain a source of geopolitical friction today.

Furthermore, historical records point to critical turning points in the 20th century, notably the 1956 interception of the FLN leadership’s aircraft after taking off from Rabat, and the rapid outbreak of the 1963 border conflict shortly after regional independence.

HISTORICAL TIMELINE OF REGIONAL FRICTION
│
├── 1844: Treaty of Tangier (Impacts regional resistance)
├── 1845: Treaty of Lalla Maghnia (Border demarcation)
├── 1956: Interception of FLN leadership aircraft from Rabat
└── 1963: Post-independence border conflict

The 1967 Intelligence Paradigm

The core of the structural shift in regional dynamics dates back to the late 1960s. Declassified testimonies and historical memoirs from former Israeli military intelligence officials, such as General Shlomo Gazit, have documented the decisive strategic leverage provided during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Reports published by media outlets like The Times of Israel highlight that during the 1965 Arab League summit, audio recordings of sensitive military preparedness meetings were shared with foreign intelligence. This intelligence windfall allowed opposing forces to accurately map the strategic capabilities and operational plans of regional Arab armies, fundamentally altering the outcome of the 1967 conflict.

The Abraham Accords and Contemporary Shifts

This historical intelligence channel was formally brought into the diplomatic open in 2020 through the signing of the Abraham Accords. This trilateral arrangement formalized diplomatic normalization with Tel Aviv in exchange for unilateral U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara—a transaction heavily criticized by regional analysts as a severe blow to both the Palestinian and Sahrawi self-determination movements.

Agreement / Body	Year established	Primary Geopolitical Function
Al-Quds Committee	1975	Established under the OIC to protect the holy city; criticized for operational passivity.
Abraham Accords	2020	Formalized normalization in exchange for territorial recognition.

This normalization has reportedly translated into direct operational coordination. Amidst severe troop shortages reported in April 2026 by Israeli military officials—who cited a critical deficit of roughly 15,000 personnel—reports from outlets like Média Palestine indicate that Moroccan military personnel and officers have been dispatched to the theater to provide technical and intelligence assistance on the ground.

Concurrently, pan-Islamic bodies like the Al-Quds Committee—chaired sequentially by King Hassan II and King Mohammed VI since 1975—have faced intense scrutiny. Critics argue that the committee’s operational paralysis, having met only four times in several decades, serves to obscure ongoing structural changes and escalations on the ground in East Jerusalem.

With Mounir Abi

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