Morocco awards Trump for Middle East work

• In a private Oval Office ceremony, President Donald Trump was given Morocco’s highest award on Friday for his work on the Israel-Morocco deal.
• Trump was awarded the Order of Muhammad, which is given only to heads of state.
• The U.S. had brokered Middle East agreements that aim to open and normalize economic relations.

United States President Donald Trump may be leaving the office on Wednesday, but he is still receiving awards. A senior administration official told Reuters that the president was granted Morocco’s highest award on Friday for advancing a normalization deal between Israel and Morocco.

Morocco’s ambassador to the U.S., Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui, awarded Trump the Order of Muhammad in a private ceremony in the Oval Office. The award, given only to heads of state, was a gift from Morocco’s King Mohammed VI.

Other awards were given to White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz, who worked on the Israel-Morocco deal reached in December.

In the last five months, the U.S. was able to broker agreements between Israel, Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan, and the United Arab Emirates. The deals aim to open and normalize economic relations.

Still, Trump’s Morocco deal drew some criticism. To finalize the agreement, he agreed that Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara will be recognized by the U.S.

Morocco has been in a territorial dispute over Western Sahara against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front for decades. The breakaway movement has been seeking to establish an independent state in the disputed territory.

There were supposedly more deals between Israel and the Arab world planned by the Kushner team, but time may have run out with Trump’s incoming departure from office.

The media was not allowed to be present during the award ceremony. Trump’s public appearances have also been notably limited since his loss in the Nov. 3 election.

Source: Aol.com