Algeria, Tunisia Skip Arab Summit: A Saga of Diplomatic Isolation and Hypocrisy

Doha – Diplomatic petulance is a fitting description of the decision by Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied to shun the emergency Arab Summit in Cairo on March 4, exposing their growing isolation in the Arab world and their increasingly transparent anti-Morocco agenda.

The Algerian presidency announced Tebboune’s decision just two days before the summit, claiming his absence was due to “irregularities and deficiencies that marred the preparatory process for this summit.”

According to Algeria’s official news agency, Tebboune was protesting what he perceived as the “monopolization of this process by a limited and narrow group of Arab countries that exclusively prepared the expected outcomes of the Cairo summit without any coordination with the rest of the Arab countries concerned with the Palestinian issue.”

A source close to the Algerian presidency, quoted by the official Algerian news agency, revealed that Tebboune “was personally upset by this working method, which involves including some countries and excluding others, as if supporting the Palestinian cause has today become the exclusive domain of some rather than others.”

The source added: “While logic dictates strengthening Arab unity and strengthening the rallying of all Arab countries around their central cause, the Palestinian cause, especially as it faces existential challenges aimed at striking at the core of the Palestinian national project.”

In his place, Tebboune dispatched Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to represent Algeria at the summit.

Tunisia quickly followed suit, with President Saied delegating his foreign minister, Mohamed Ali Nafti, to lead the Tunisian delegation. The country “will renew its firm position supporting Palestinian rights, foremost the establishment of an independent sovereign state on the entire land of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital,” the Tunisian presidency stated.

Just over two years ago, Tebboune was boasting about hosting the Arab Summit in Algiers in November 2022, held at the Abdellatif Rahal International Conference Center—a massive $688 million complex built by China. But besides grandiose declarations, the summit accomplished nothing of consequence for the Palestinian cause.

In fact, the event ended in failure, boycotted by prominent Arab leaders. Still, Tebboune managed to enjoy his brief moments of glory. However, Algeria’s presidency of the Arab League lasted only four months theoretically, and less than four days effectively before Saudi Arabia took it away.

Exposing the true motives

Behind the hollow rhetoric of Palestinian solidarity lies a far more transparent agenda. Algeria has consistently acted outside the Arab consensus, aligning itself with the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” – one of the most important pillars of its foreign policy. The blow this axis suffered since the October 7 war has left Algeria directionless and desperate to attack coordination meetings between Arab states, particularly those that include Morocco.

Algeria’s sudden outcry about not being included in coordination meetings reveals its desperation after feeling marginalized at the Arab level. Yet it lacks the courage to review its regional and Arab policies that have isolated it from the emerging Arab bloc moving forward without concern for Algeria’s obstructionism – a clear indication of the changing balance of power and trends in the region.

Gamal Sultan, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Masryoon, commented on Algeria’s decision on his social media account, exhuming the bizarre nature of Tebboune’s justifications. Various social media posts trumpeted that the real issue was certain Arab countries being excluded from the preparatory discussions with perceived deficiencies in coordination with Arab League members aimed at reaching a unified position.

“This decision comes against the background of the irregularities and shortcomings that marred the preparatory process for this summit, as this process was monopolized by a limited and narrow group of Arab countries that exclusively prepared the expected outcomes of the upcoming Cairo summit without the slightest coordination with the rest of the Arab countries, all of which are concerned with the Palestinian issue,” the Algerian news agency professed.

Some social media users went further, analyzing why Algeria was not included in the preparatory work for the emergency summit, suggesting that Tebboune rejected the expected position of the Arab countries. Others criticized what they saw as a “monopolization” of the Palestinian issue, evident in excluding some countries from participating in meetings preceding the summit.

The Western Sahara factor: Algeria’s puppet Polisario

The glaring hypocrisy of Algeria’s position becomes even more apparent when examining its persistent obstruction of UN-led efforts to resolve the Western Sahara issue. Algeria has for decades weaponized this issue, financing, arming, and hosting the separatist Polisario Front in a blatant attempt to undermine Morocco’s territorial integrity.

Tebboune’s regime has used its vast oil wealth to bankroll this separatist puppet while simultaneously claiming to champion Arab causes. The irony is striking – while pretending to defend Palestinian self-determination, Algeria actively works to dismember a fellow Arab nation through its separatist proxy.

Algeria’s reaction comes amid the Gulf states’ anticipated meeting in Mecca with Morocco, Jordan, Egypt, and Syria to discuss regional developments, which the Algerian leadership considers an exclusion. This reflects the dimming role of Algeria and its marginality in formulating arrangements for major Arab issues.

Algeria is suffering from isolation within the Arab League due to its disturbing political positions and its refusal to align with Arab trends. Over the years, it has shown non-commitment to the orientations of joint Arab action and sponsorship of the Iranian expansionist project in the region, which makes many Arab countries deeply suspicious of its motives.

Additionally, Algeria’s support for separatist entities and its interventionist policy in neighboring countries’ affairs, along with its special agenda that often contradicts Arab priorities – such as its refusal to join many Arab initiatives, especially in Yemen and Syria, and its tense relationship with some Gulf countries – have all weakened Algeria’s role in participating in making crucial decisions related to Arab affairs.

Tebboune’s Israel hypocrisy exposed

The true extent of Algeria’s duplicity was recently laid bare when Tebboune, who has relentlessly attacked Morocco for normalizing relations with Israel, shockingly declared his own country’s willingness to establish ties with the Jewish state.

In an extraordinary reversal last month, Tebboune told French newspaper L’Opinion: “Of course, on the day that happens,” signaling Algeria’s readiness to normalize relations with Israel upon the creation of a Palestinian state. He attempted to sanitize this dramatic shift by claiming: “This aligns with the position of my predecessors, Presidents Chadli and Bouteflika, who had no issue with Israel.”

This stunning about-face came after years of using Israel as a pretext for aggressive policies against Morocco, including the unilateral severance of diplomatic relations in 2021, imposing visa restrictions citing fears of “Zionist spies with Moroccan passports,” and repeatedly denouncing Morocco’s sovereign diplomatic choices.

Adding to this flagrant hypocrisy, a report from the Economic Complexity Observatory revealed the same month that Algeria ranks fourth among Arab countries exporting goods to Israel, with total exports exceeding $30 million since 2017. “In 2018, Algeria exported $30.5M to Israel, with the main products exported being Hydrogen,” the report detailed. “During the last 5 years the exports of Algeria to Israel have increased at an annualized rate of 64.1%.”

This flourishing trade relationship has persisted even as Tebboune’s regime vehemently condemned Morocco’s re-establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, arguing that normalization threatens Algeria’s national interests.

The sheer hypocrisy becomes undeniable when set against Tebboune’s unyielding tirades against Israel’s actions in Gaza—the massacre of over 60,000 Palestinians and maiming of countless others since October 7, 2023. The Algerian president has repeatedly urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for what he termed genocide, while quietly maintaining and increasing trade relations with the very state he publicly denounces.

Meanwhile, Tebboune’s ruling clique has maintained an iron grip on public expression, refusing to allow pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Algeria despite its claims of “principled” and “unwavering” solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

The Maghreb Union charade

Algeria’s isolation extends beyond the Arab League. In a desperate bid to maintain regional relevance, Algeria and Tunisia have been pursuing a phantom “Maghreb Union” that deliberately excludes Morocco – a pivotal player in North Africa.

In April 2024, Tunisia hosted a “consultative meeting” with Algerian and Libyan representatives, conspicuously omitting Morocco despite Tebboune’s hollow claim that “it was decided to organize Maghreb meetings without excluding any party.”

The Tunisian Presidency announced that the visit would be at the request of President Kais Saied, who extended his invitation to Tebboune as well as Mohamed Younes El Menfi, the head of the Libyan presidential council, with no mention of Morocco’s involvement.

This farce continued when Tebboune claimed in a televised interview that “the primary goal of the Maghreb bloc is to revive the Maghreb action and coordinate efforts to tackle pressing regional issues.” The bloc “would be a beneficial initiative for the countries of the region by gathering and unifying their voices on the issues that concern them, especially since we share almost the same issues,” he argued, adding that its “door is open to the countries” and it is “unacceptable” to isolate anyone in the region.

However, like a thief preaching virtue, Algeria bankrolls, arms, and shelters the Polisario Front while masquerading as a champion of Maghreb unity and regional cooperation. Tunisia and Morocco also witnessed an unprecedented diplomatic crisis when Tunis extended an invitation to and hosted Polisario leader Ibrahim Ghali during the 8th Tokyo International Conference of African Development (TICAD) in 2022, which Morocco boycotted, emphasizing that the Tunisian president’s hosting of the Polisario chief was a “stab in the back.”

Yet even Tunisia has grown wary of Algeria’s machinations. By July 2024, Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar openly distanced his country from Algeria’s “new Maghreb bloc” project, clarifying that their tripartite meetings with Libya were merely “consultative” and “not an alternative to the Arab Maghreb Union.” Libya similarly rejected the Algerian scheme, with its Presidential Council sending a written message to King Mohammed VI affirming that any genuine Maghreb initiative must include all regional countries – a clear rebuke to Algeria’s divisive tactics.

Arab League stands firm with Morocco

Despite Algeria’s attempts to sow discord, the Arab League has maintained its steadfast support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.

When Tebboune claimed in late March 2024 that “there is no decision by the Arab League regarding Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara,” several Moroccan reports quoted sources from the Arab League as denouncing his statements as “a desperate attempt to spread discord and division among Arab brothers,” according to local Moroccan websites.

The Arab League has consistently affirmed its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and the political process led by the United Nations. All UN Security Council resolutions adopted since 2007 prioritize the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a serious and credible basis and the only way to end the artificially maintained dispute over the Western Sahara.

Algeria has been working for decades to obstruct the solution and hinder reaching an agreement, while the country has successfully, thanks to its effective diplomacy, countered all Algerian claims and gained recognition from many countries for the Sahara.

International support for the autonomy proposal has increased recently, and international recognitions of Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern regions have multiplied, with the number of consulates general in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla exceeding 28, while many countries have withdrawn their recognition of the self-styled SADR.

As Arab countries rally around shared concerns, these two leaders retreat further into diplomatic obscurity, their coordinated boycott revealing more about their waning influence than any principled stance they claim to represent. The emergency Arab Summit in Cairo is yet another theater performance, where empty rhetoric takes center stage and their anti-Morocco agenda hides behind the flimsy mask of Palestinian solidarity.