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Doha – After relentlessly condemning Morocco’s diplomatic ties with Israel and using them to justify cutting bilateral relations, imposing visa restrictions, and launching repeated diplomatic offensives against the kingdom, Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has made an astonishing about-face: declaring his own country’s willingness to normalize relations with Israel.
The dramatic pivot, revealed in an interview with French newspaper L’Opinion, shatters years of anti-normalization rhetoric that the Algerian regime wielded as a political weapon against Morocco. Even more critically, the move exposes the hollowness of Algiers’ self-proclaimed role as the stalwart defender of the Palestinian cause.
In a stunning display of policy reversal that has left regional observers bewildered, the same government that unilaterally severed ties with Morocco in 2021 over its relations with Israel, imposed visa restrictions citing fears of “Zionist spies with Moroccan passports,” and repeatedly denounced Morocco’s sovereign diplomatic choices, is now openly contemplating the very same relationship it spent years condemning.
This extraordinary shift not only undermines the credibility of Algeria’s previous positions but also raises serious questions about the true motives behind its persistent hostility toward Morocco.
“Of course, on the day that happens,” Tebboune declared to L’Opinion, brazenly signaling Algeria’s willingness to establish diplomatic relations with Israel upon the creation of a Palestinian state.
In a transparent attempt to sanitize this dramatic shift, he claimed: “This aligns with the position of my predecessors, Presidents Chadli and Bouteflika, who had no issue with Israel.”
The same regime that weaponized Morocco’s sovereign diplomatic decisions has now revealed its own openness to the very same relationships it once condemned.
This shocking pivot comes after years of using Israel as a pretext for aggressive policies against Morocco, including the unilateral severance of diplomatic relations in 2021.
The mask falls
The blatant contradiction in Algeria’s position reaches unprecedented heights when examined against Tebboune’s relentless condemnation of Israel’s actions in Gaza. The Algerian president has repeatedly urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for the genocide, which has claimed over 47,000 Palestinian lives.
Yet now, the same Tebboune who vehemently declared that “Algeria will not normalize ties with Israel and will not give its blessings to other Arab countries that want to” appears to have no principled objection to collaborating with Tel Aviv – as long as certain conditions are met.
The profound hypocrisy extends beyond mere diplomatic positioning. While claiming to stand against “occupation” in Palestine, the Algerian regime continues to finance and back the separatist Polisario Front, cynically portraying it as parallel to the Palestinian cause.
This manufactured equivalence between Morocco’s legitimate sovereignty over its southern provinces and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict reveals the purely tactical nature of Algeria’s positions.
Such a seismic upheaval exposes the complete absence of principle in the regime’s foreign policy, the Spanish newspaper Atalayar has analyzed, describing the Algerian president’s unprecedented and controversial interview as signaling “the beginning of the end of Tebboune’s leadership of Algeria.”
The willingness to consider relations with Israel – the very state it accused of genocide – while maintaining its aggressive stance against Morocco’s territorial integrity demonstrates that Algeria’s positions stem not from moral conviction but from opportunistic hostility toward its neighbor.
A history of double standards
The flagrant contradiction becomes even more apparent when examining Algeria’s recent actions. Just months ago, in September 2024, the regime imposed visa requirements on Moroccan citizens under the pretense of preventing “Israeli spies with Moroccan passports” from entering Algeria.
The foreign ministry had gone so far as to accuse Morocco of “deploying Zionist intelligence agents holding Moroccan passports to freely access national territory.”
In a further display of inconsistency, Tebboune’s regime had previously cited Morocco’s military exercises with Israel as violation of “the principles of good neighborliness.”
Yet now, the same government that used these accusations to justify hostile actions against Morocco appears ready to pursue its own path to normalization.
Despite Algeria’s tightly controlled political landscape, Tebboune’s announcement has triggered unprecedented domestic backlash.
The Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), Algeria’s largest opposition party, swiftly condemned “any settlement or normalization projects with the Zionist entity.” MSP described Israel as an “aggressive occupier” intent on erasing Palestinians and violating their most fundamental and inalienable rights.
An MSP source, speaking on condition of anonymity to The New Arab, exposed what they called “suspicious pressures from Israel’s allies, particularly the United States, to push resistant nations – Algeria included – into normalization.”
The source emphasized that “the Palestinian cause is a red line” for the Islamist party.
Adding to the chorus of internal criticism, the Workers’ Party issued a scathing rejection of any normalization with Israel, even under the pretext of a two-state solution.
They argued such a process would constitute a betrayal of Palestinian struggles – the very accusation Algeria’s regime had repeatedly leveled against Morocco.
While Algeria has long portrayed itself as a champion of Palestinian rights, hosting mediation talks in 2022 and pushing for ceasefire resolutions at the UN Security Council, its actions tell a different story.
The regime has maintained an iron grip on public expression, refusing to allow pro-Palestinian demonstrations despite claims of “principled” and “unwavering” solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Opposition attempts to secure exceptions for Palestine-related protests have been met with characteristic silence from authorities.
A desperate bid for relevance amid regional shifts
Tebboune’s sudden openness to normalization – once deemed impossible in Algeria – signals a desperate attempt to maintain relevance in a rapidly evolving regional landscape. In particular, Tebboune’s diplomatically besieged regime appears to be seeking to shore up ties with the United States to offset Algeria’s growing international isolation.
During his interview with L’Opinion, Tebboune notably emphasized Algeria’s desire for stronger US relations. “Our relations have remained good with all US presidents, regardless of their political party, whether Democrat or Republican,” he boasted.
In what appeared to be a transparent bid to curry favor with the current American administration, he even pointedly recalled Trump’s swift congratulations following his 2019 election, noting: “He sent me a congratulatory message just hours after the results were announced, whereas President Macron took four days.”
This diplomatic maneuvering comes at a critical time when regional dynamics are shifting dramatically.
Tunisia’s President Kais Saied has already blocked anti-normalization legislation and presided over crackdowns on pro-Palestine activists. As recently reported by Italian media, potential deals between Tunisia and Tel Aviv are being brokered by Washington and Rome.
Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are reportedly exploring the resumption of normalization talks with Israel following the progress of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.
The timing of Algeria’s reversal is particularly telling, as Israel continues its diplomatic expansion in the Maghreb region.
Despite previously denouncing any discussions with Tel Aviv about following Morocco’s 2020 normalization deal – a move it fiercely repudiated – Algeria now appears eager to jump on the very bandwagon it once vilified.
This frantic drive to rebuild international bridges shows mounting anxieties over Algeria’s deepening diplomatic isolation. Indeed, recent reports reveal the regime’s scrambling efforts to forge new alliances across the Maghreb – targeting Libya and Tunisia – while also courting Middle Eastern and African players like Egypt.
As such, Tebboune’s whirlwind visits to Egypt and Oman, coupled with attempts to bolster Arab League Summit participation, reflect what appears to be a palpable desperation over Algeria’s waning influence and stagnant diplomatic achievements.
Read also: Algeria President: ‘We Are Wasting Time with President Macron’
