President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a US brokerage agreement between Morocco and Israel to normalize relations – the fourth such agreement between Israel and the Arab world since August. To implement the agreement, Trump undermined decades of US policy by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the western Sahara, the least populous region in northwest Africa. Morocco demanded it in 1957 and moved to unite all in 1979, and has been fighting to control it against the indigenous Sahrawi people of the region ever since. The 16-year uprising ended with the United Nations brokerage in 1991, and the UN pledged to help organize an independent referendum in Western Sahara. That referendum has not yet taken place, and it is unlikely to ever be available, with the United States becoming the first Western country to recognize Moroccan sovereignty in the region. “Today, I signed a declaration recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “Morocco’s radical, credible and realistic autonomy proposal is the only basis for a lasting and lasting solution to maintaining peace and prosperity!” This decision would be considered the greatest victory for Washington, Rabat and Jerusalem. Ideally, the United States gets another Arab nation to improve relations with Israel, continuing its significant diplomatic effort known as the “Abraham Pact.” Israel is gaining another Arab nation to openly engage with, and its regional isolation is slowly coming to an end (although Morocco and Israel have been engaged in secret negotiations for decades). Morocco, after hearing it for years, has recognized its long-desired regional claim by the United States. “They are going to reopen the liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv immediately with the intention of opening embassies. They are going to promote economic cooperation between Israeli and Moroccan companies, ”Jared Kushner, who signed the agreement two years ago, told Reuters on Thursday. As part of the deal, the administration announced that it would send economic aid to both Morocco and the Western Sahara, and that flights from Morocco to Israel would go back and forth. But the Sahrawi people will not take the announcement too seriously, experts say, over decades of controversy. “This hasty decision to put the weight behind the Moroccan claim will have dire consequences for Sahrawi and will give hope that the conflict will be resolved peacefully and in a lasting manner,” Kelsey Norman of Rice University told me. It is not clear whether Trump really believes that supporting Morocco’s claim will help end the conflict. What is clear is that he is seeking more diplomatic victories in the region before handing over power to President-elect Joe Biden in January. Trump is upholding his diplomatic traditions before Biden takes charge. In fact, the announcement follows the Trump administration’s brokerage agreements between Israel in August and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain in September and Sudan in October. Prior to those agreements, Israel last signed a peace agreement with an Arab country in 1994 with Jordan (which signed an agreement with Egypt in 1979). Even if Biden wants to change those decisions – there is no evidence that he is doing it now – Trump’s announcements will make it harder for him to do so. What this means is that Trump will reaffirm his legacy as president who has broken the locksmith on Israeli recognition, but it remains to be seen whether it will lead to any real, tangible gains in the Middle East. Will you help keep Vox free for everyone? There is tremendous power in understanding. Vox answers your most important questions and gives you clear information that will help you understand the increasingly chaotic world. A financial contribution from Vox will enable us to deliver a continuing explanatory journal to the millions who depend on us. Donate to Vox today from Vox 3 for a small price.