Algeria is making efforts to revive its regional and international role after decades of absence from the international arena as a result of the crisis it went through during the 1990s, and as a result of the isolation it imposed on itself under the rule of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who suffered from illness after 2012.

In 2018, Bouteflika was ousted from power after popular protests, and Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected president. After the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis in 2022, Europe began knocking on Algeria's doors to buy its natural gas to compensate for the decline in energy imports from Russia.

Algeria has found that it must restore its active role in its immediate neighborhood and on the African scene, after it found that its political isolation contributed to the harming of its interests which it considers part of its national security, including interference in the immediate neighborhood of Algeria in Libya, and the outbreak of the Arab Spring that toppled the regimes in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, and almost destabilized Algeria.

Zionist hostility to Algeria

Algeria's efforts to play an active role in its regional environment and in Africa have aroused the concern of the Zionist entity. It is worth mentioning that there is historical hostility between Algeria and the Zionist entity, as Algeria considers it a relic of colonialism from which Algeria suffered long before it gained independence. Therefore, Algeria is one of the most prominent Arab countries supporting the Palestinian cause.

Algeria supports the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and their efforts to liberate their land from the Israeli occupation. It should be noted that Algeria, along with other Arab and Islamic countries, has maintained a policy of non-recognition of "Israel" in accordance with the principle of the "three No's", which rejects peace with "Israel", refuses to recognize it, refuses to negotiate with it, and ignores the decisions of the 1968 Arab summit in Khartoum.

Since Algeria depends on Russian and Chinese weapons for its armaments, it does not need the support of Zionist groups to obtain Western weapons. Therefore, the Zionist entity does not see a way to put pressure on Algeria through Zionist lobbies. "Israel" fears Algeria's efforts to prevent it from spreading its influence in Africa, with reports stating that Algeria had a major role in preventing the Zionists from rapprochement with Tunisia.

Strained Algerian-Moroccan relations

What has increased Algeria's sensitivity is the recent deepening of Zionist-Moroccan relations. Algeria and Morocco have a complex relationship, marked by periods of cooperation as well as tensions. One of the most prominent reasons for these tensions was Morocco's association with the West during the Cold War, while Algeria's relations with the Socialist Bloc were very strong. Likewise, Algeria considered that the Moroccan regime was a reactionary regime that contradicted with the values of the socialist regime in Algeria.

One of the main points of contention between Algeria and Morocco is the issue of Western Sahara, a land Morocco claims sovereignty over, while Algeria supports the right of self-determination for the Sahrawi people led by the Polisario Front. This led to a prolonged dispute and strained relations between the two countries. It also contributed to the closure of the borders between Algeria and Morocco since 1994, a matter that has hindered trade and limited social and cultural interactions between the peoples of the two countries.

In addition, Morocco's normalization with "Israel" has deepened the rift between Algeria and Rabat, leading to harsh criticism between the two neighbors. Algeria also fears that cooperation between Rabat and "Tel Aviv" is a threat to its national security as this provides "Israel" with access to its Western Front.

The Israeli-Moroccan rapprochement

Morocco and "Israel" have had secret relations since the 1960s. In December 2020, Morocco agreed to normalize diplomatic relations with "Israel", becoming one of the countries to join the normalization accords, a series of agreements aimed at promoting normalization between "Israel" and the Arab States.

For decades, Morocco and "Israel" have maintained informal relations, especially in areas such as security cooperation and trade. Morocco's decision to establish formal diplomatic relations represented a major shift in their relationship, as it included the normalization agreement between Morocco and "Israel", the exchange of embassies and diplomatic missions, the promotion of economic and tourism relations, and cultural exchanges.

This development was welcomed by the United States and various Western countries and organizations as a step toward regional stability and cooperation, and this made the United States reward Morocco by recognizing its sovereignty over Western Sahara. On the other hand, many countries criticized the Moroccan move, considering it a stab in the back for the Palestinian cause.

The Israeli threat to Algerian national security

As such, the expansion of "Israel's" influence in Africa and its establishment of relations with Morocco is a source of great concern for Algeria. In the past, "Israel" was an enemy far from Algeria, but after the normalization of relations with Morocco, it has become stationed on its western borders. Evidence of this danger appeared during Zionist Foreign Minister Yair Lapid's visit to Morocco in 2021, when he expressed his concern about Algeria's regional role, which was considered the straw that broke the camel's back for Algiers. Algerian officials felt betrayed because Lapid's statement was understood to come from neighboring Morocco, an act that violated the principles of unity and good neighborliness expressed in the Arab Maghreb Union project launched in 1989. The Algerian authorities linked the increase of Israeli influence in Morocco to the outbreak of a series of fires that claimed dozens of lives and caused huge losses in the west of the country, which were suspected to have been started by a separatist movement in the Kabylie region. 

In response, Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco and closed the country's airspace to Moroccan civil and military aircraft. Algeria also decided to cut off gas supplies to Morocco and instead only supply Spain with natural gas through the Medgaz pipeline as of the beginning of November 2021.

In parallel, Algeria, in cooperation with South Africa, was able to block "Israel's" accession to the African Union as an observer member. On October 16, 2021, the Executive Council of the African Union announced the postponement of its decision to grant "Israel" the status of an observer member of the Union. The decision came as a culmination of a great effort made by Algeria both politically and diplomatically over a period of three months to obstruct the decision taken by the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, to accept "Israel's" request to join the African Union as an observer member.

Conclusion 

Algeria sees "Israel's" attempts to extend its influence in Africa as being complementary with French and Western efforts to extend their hegemony over Africa, which are also in the context of competition with Eurasian powers, led by China and Russia, for influence in Africa. This constituted an opportunity for Algeria to search for international allies in the face of "Israel" and Western powers, especially as it looks with concern at France's efforts to restore its influence in West Africa.

Therefore, Algeria has chosen rapprochement with the Eurasian powers, led by Russia, and this was expressed in the recent visit of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to Moscow in June 2023, when a strategic partnership was announced between the two countries. The relationship with Algeria represents an opportunity for Russia to compensate for the loss of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi as an ally in North Africa in 2011, in order to start from Algeria to extend its influence in the North and West Africa region at the expense of traditional French influence. It is worth mentioning that the Russian Wagner Military Group, which operates on the orders of the Kremlin (despite the recent rebellion), is present in eastern Libya, Sudan, Central Africa, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau.