The Mauritania Principle

Eight years ago, Mauritania became the third Arab country to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. This momentous action occurred without fanfare, and even today is not as widely known as it ought to be.

The other two, Egypt and Jordan, signed peace treaties with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively, and shortly thereafter opened embassies and exchanged ambassadors. These challenged the longstanding conviction among Arab leaders that diplomatic ties with Israel would be established only in the context of a full Israeli-Palestinian peace. But, bordering Israel, and having engaged in costly warfare, Egypt and Jordan proceeded without waiting for a resolution of the Palestinian situation, which has held Arab-Israeli relations virtually hostage for 60 years.

Mauritania’s counterintuitive approach was based on the firm belief that the best way to contribute to a climate of peace and security is for more Arab states to recognize Israel and create formal ties. Mauritania opened an embassy in Israel and welcomed an Israeli ambassador in Nouakchott in 2000, out of the conviction that doing so would help the Palestinians. It seemed so simple.

Geography may also have helped. Mauritania is far from Israel and the Palestinian territories. But distance has not precluded other Arab and Muslim countries from using every means available to foster hatred of Israel.

I visited Mauritania in February 2001, in a small American Jewish Committee delegation. Tucked between the disputed Western Sahara, Senegal, Algeria and the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of 2.5 million, Mauritania is a large desert nation, with prime exports of fish and phosphates. The capital city of Nouakchott, on the Atlantic, often has piles of sand on corners much like snow is collected in New York in winter.

But, notwithstanding the apparent harshness of the environment, or, perhaps, as a result of it, Mauritanians, a traditionally nomadic people, are genuinely friendly and, customary to Bedouin culture, are true to their word. “We made a strategic choice and that is to support peace,” Mauritania’s foreign minister told us, explaining the decision to establish full relations with Israel.

When Mauritanian President Maaouya Sidi Ahmed Ould Taya decided in October 1999, to formally recognize Israel, he followed not only Egypt and Jordan but also other Arab countries, including Morocco, Oman, Tunisia and Qatar that established lower level diplomatic ties, mainly trade representatives, with Israel in the upbeat environment following the signing of the Oslo Accords.

But what distinguishes Mauritania from the others has been its commitment to not allow the ups and downs of Middle East politics to interfere. “We will not renege,” the Mauritanian foreign minister told us in 2001.

That remains a remarkable statement, especially when one considers that on several occasions Egypt and Jordan have temporarily recalled their ambassadors to Israel, and other Arab countries that established during the 1990s low-level official relations with Israel have diminished, or eliminated, their representation in Israel, in response to the conflict.

Mauritania’s commitment has withstood the continual pressures from most of the Arab League, as well as a 2003 coup attempt in Mauritania, reportedly by radical Islamist forces, and a 2005 military coup that deposed Taya. Democratic elections in March 2007 brought to the presidency Sidi Oulld Cheikh Abdallahi, who has taken steps to strengthen Mauritanian democracy, and has indicated interest in expanding relations with Israel, notably completing construction of a cancer treatment center by Israel that is expected to open in Nouakchott next year. The facility, built with AJC assistance, is another tangible contribution to the developing world that has been a hallmark of Israeli foreign aid for decades.

Further, Mauritania did not establish relations with Israel out of a desire to do well with the United States. The financial benefits have been lean. Today, Mauritania still seeks the kind of enhanced financial aid and trade relations that its neighbor Morocco, among others, enjoys from Washington. As for the wealthy members of the Arab League, whatever limited assistance had been provided before 1999 was eliminated.

Thirty years ago, the Arab League vehemently condemned Egyptian President Anwar Sadat for traveling to Jerusalem to address the Knesset, and two years later signing a full peace treaty with Israel. Is the Arab world now prepared to emulate the bold initiatives of Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania?

A potentially positive step is the Saudi Peace Initiative, endorsed by the Arab League, which ostensibly promises full recognition of Israel after a permanent settlement with the Palestinians is achieved. However, more than ten percent of the Arab League already has moved beyond the rhetoric and established ties with Israel while continuing to support efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.

For those in the Arab world truly keen for an era of Israeli-Palestinian peace, following the path charted by Egypt, Jordan and Mauritania makes sense.

Kenneth Bandler is director of communications for the American Jewish Committee.