Tunisia to normalize ties with 'Israel' soon: Algerian official

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
13 Aug 2023 14:42
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The President of the National Construction Movement called on all Algerian political groups to declare their support for President Tebboune who will safeguard the country's security.

President of Algeria's National COntruction Movement Abdelkader Bengrina addresses supporters during a campaign rally ahead of the June 12 general elections in the capital Algiers, Algeria, on June 5, 2021. (AFP)

Algeria should "keep a watchful eye" on Tunisia after several visits were made to the country by representatives of the Israeli occupation that come in line with normalization efforts, the President of the Algerian National Construction Movement, Abdelkader Bengrina, warned on Sunday.

During a press conference, Bengrina said the Israeli visits made to Algeria's neighbor are expected to produce a normalization deal between the occupation and Tunisia in the "coming days", stressing that such a deal would force Algeria into a state of insecurity and instability.

He also pointed to the possibility of military interference in Niger, as he emphasized Algeria's opposition to an invasion of its southern neighbor stems from its awareness of the repercussion and risks that such an event would entail.

Bengrina added that military interference in Niamey would lead to chaos in a region already faced with multiple crises. He further clarified that a Western-backed invasion of Niger would halt and undermine the bilateral projects agreed to with Russia and China during President Abdelmajid Teboune's high-level international visits.

The President of the National Construction Movement called for the need to inform the Algerian society of the actual graveness of the national security threats that the country faces. He also emphasized the "obligation to unify the national front and strengthen the internal front to confront all the dangers surrounding Algeria."

Finally, Bengrina called on Algerian political groups to declare their support for the Algerian President's decisions aimed at safeguarding the country from mounting threats.

The Algerian leader's comments are extremely alarming seeing that the Tunisian parliament announced, on August 1, that the Committee on Rights and Freedoms had started looking into introducing a draft law urging the criminalization of acts of normalization with "Israel".

The committee presented "a preliminary reading regarding the importance of the draft law for the Tunisian people and its unconditional support for the just Palestinian cause."

Last year, in April of 2022, the Tunisian Workers' Party organized a sit-in in front of the municipal theater in the capital to condemn Israeli attacks in Palestine and support Palestinians, calling for the enactment of a law to criminalize normalization.

Dozens of Tunisian Workers' Party supporters participated in this solidarity stand in support of the Palestinian cause while raising Palestinian flags.

The Workers' Party called for the signing of a popular petition in all regions of Tunisia to impose the enactment of a law criminalizing normalization.

Tunisia began its organized boycott of "Israel" through the Arab League after the 1948 war, while the implementation of the decision to boycott differed from one Arab country to the other.

The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always affirmed that all "rumors circulating about Tunisia's intention to normalize relations with Israel are unfounded," and said that it was not concerned with normalization with "Israel," as "its position is not affected by international changes."