Rabat – A new report has revealed that Algeria ranks fourth among Arab countries exporting goods to Israel, despite its government’s purported strong opposition to normalization, Israeli outlet i24 News reported.
According to the Economic Complexity Observatory (OEC), Algeria has been engaged in trade with Israel since at least 2017, with total exports exceeding $30 million. The report states that Algeria follows the UAE, Jordan, and Egypt in terms of exports to Israel, according to the outlet.
“In 2017, Israel exported $7k to Algeria. There were not main exports from Israel to Algeria in 2017. During the last 9 years the exports of Israel to Algeria have decreased at an annualized rate of 34.6%, from $320k in 2008 to $7k in 2017,” said the report.
However, data shows a steady rise in Algeria’s exports to Israel over recent years. Algeria exported $30.5M to Israel in 2018, with the main products exported being Hydrogen. “During the last 5 years the exports of Algeria to Israel have increased at an annualized rate of 64.1%,” noted the report.
Despite these trade relations, Algeria has been vocal in its opposition to Israel. The country has repeatedly condemned Morocco’s re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, arguing that normalization threatens Algeria’s national interests.
However, in an interview with the French newspaper L’Opinion earlier this month, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune stated that Algeria would consider normalizing ties with Israel if a fully independent Palestinian state is established.
He noted that past Algerian presidents, Chadli Bendjedid and Abdelaziz Bouteflika, did not oppose relations with Israel but prioritized Palestinian statehood.
However, this data exposes Algeria’s hypocritical double standards. While its government insists it would never engage with Israel, the numbers tell a different story. At the same time that Algerian officials attack Morocco for normalizing relations, Algeria itself has been quietly maintaining and even increasing its trade with the Israeli occupation.
