President Donald Trump and Morocco’s King Mohammed VI exchanged major awards prior to Trump’s Jan. 20 departure from office. On Friday, Jan. 15, Trump received Morocco’s highest award, the Order of Muhammad, which is only given to heads of state. It was a gift from King Mohammed VI and was presented to Trump by Morocco’s Ambassador to the U.S., Princess Lalla Joumala Alaoui, in a private Oval Office ceremony, a senior administration official told Reuters.
The award was given for the administration’s advancement of the deal to normalize relations between Morocco and Israel. (GM Dec. 11, 2020). The deal also included U.S. recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the disputed territory of Western Sahara. White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner and Middle East Envoy Avi Berkowitz were recognized with other awards.
In the past five months, the U.S. also brokered deals between Israel and United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Sudan.
Trump awarded King Mohammed VI with the Legion of Merit, degree of Chief Commander, with Ambassador Alaoui accepting. “His vision and personal courage – including his decision to resume ties with the State of Israel – have positively reshaped the landscape of the Middle East and North Africa and ushered in a new era of security and prosperity for both our countries and the world,” according to a statement issued by the White House.
There is speculation that President Joe Biden may leave the deal in place, or at least not make a quick decision to change it.