Algeria–Israel relations

Algeria and Israel have no official diplomatic relations, with Algeria being part of the Arab League boycott of Israel, and officially does not recognize the State of Israel. Algeria refuses entry to any person holding an Israeli passport or any other passport with a visa from Israel.^[1]

Algeria–Israel relations

Algeria	Israel

20th century

1950s

During the Algerian War, Israel offered diplomatic assistance and collaborated on intelligence matters with France, opposing Algerian independence.^[2] Israel closely cooperated with French intelligence services, providing valuable information about the National Liberation Front (FLN).^[3] Furthermore, Israeli agents frequently engaged in direct combat against Algerian nationalists, fighting alongside French forces.^[4] Israel voted consistently against Algeria's independence in the United Nations.^[5][6]

1960s and 1970s

Main article: Algerian involvement in the Yom Kippur War

Shortly after Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962, Israel recognized the country's independence.^[7] In 1962, Algeria became one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. Since then, Algeria has supported various Palestinian militant groups, including Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).^[8]

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Algeria sent a battalion of infantry and a squadron of MiG-21s to Egypt, losing three Mig-21s to Israel.^[9] During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Algeria sent an expeditionary force to fight Israel, including 59 aircraft (MiG-21, MiG-17, Su-7), an infantry platoon and an armored brigade (with an estimated 19 artillery weapons). Algeria also had a very important role in the Arab-Israeli war in 1973, by sending its 8th Infantry Mechanical Regiment to the Egyptian front to fight. There were almost 2,100 men, 815 non-commissioned officers, and 192 officers in total.^[10]

1990s

In the mid-1990s, while Israel and other North African states slowly started diplomatic relations, Algeria remained one of the last countries to refrain from such a move. It was only when Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Barak met President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika at the funeral of the Moroccan King Hassan II of Morocco on July 25, 1999, that alleged unofficial comments were made.^[11]

21st century

2010s

In January 2012, both Algeria and Israel as part of the Mediterranean Dialogue attended the 166th Military Committee meetings with NATO members in Brussels.^[12]

In 2016, an Algerian high school geography textbook that contained a map that included Israel was withdrawn.^[13] In January 2017, an Algerian was arrested after an online video interview with an Israeli official.^[14]

2020s

In 2020, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said that he was interested in improving relations with Algeria and other Arab countries.^[15] Also in 2020, amidst Gulf states' call to normalize relations, and the Hirak political renewal impact on the country's internal affairs, some voices were calling on reviewing the country's bilateral relations in a way that benefits the country.^[16]

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, during an interview with Algerian media on September 20, 2020, stated, "We have noticed a kind of scramble towards normalization. This is something we will never participate in, nor bless, the Palestinian issue is sacred for us and it is the mother of all issues and will not be resolved except by establishing a Palestinian state, with the 1967 borders, with Holy Jerusalem as its capital,"^[17] The statement refers to the ceremony that took place at the White House in the United States on September 15 of the same year, during which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed normalization agreements with Israel, mediated by U.S. President Donald Trump.^[18]

On 30 September 2021, the Algerian National Navy spotted an Israeli Dolphin-class submarine on the edge of Algerian international waters, which was carrying out an intelligence mission to collect information about the capabilities of the Algerian Project 636 Kilo-class submarines during an Algerian navy drill. Upon discovering the Israeli submarine, two Algerian Kilo submarines pursued it and cornered it, forcing it to surface in international waters and leave the area.^[19][20]

See also

• History of the Jews in Algeria

References

1. International Air Transport Association (IATA), Travel Information Manual
2. Lombardi, Roland (2018-06-23). "Un aspect international méconnu de la guerre d'Algérie : le regard et l'implication d'Israël dans le conflit". Casbah Tribune (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-02.
3. "L'Algérie, Israël et la dernière colonie européenne dans le monde arabe". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-02.
4. Lombardi, Roland (2018-06-23). "Un aspect international méconnu de la guerre d'Algérie : le regard et l'implication d'Israël dans le conflit". Casbah Tribune (in French). Retrieved 2023-06-02.
5. Dorothy Pickles (2023). The Government and Politics of France: Volume Two Politics. Taylor & Francis. p. 223. ISBN 978-10-0081001-1.
6. Rouleau, Eric. “French Policy in the Middle East.” The World Today, vol. 24, no. 5, 1968, pp. 209–18. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40394127. Accessed 28 Mar. 2023.
7. "Israelis Pursue Algerian Accord". The New York Times. July 9, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-07-01.
8. Algeria – Arab and Middle East Affairs
9. . Archived from the original on 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
10. Vivian Ibrahim (December 1, 2009). "Algeria and Egypt: A tale of two peoples". Egypt Independent.
11. Algeria's Policy toward Israel: Pragmatism and Rhetoric by Jacob Abadi, Middle East Journal, Vol. 56, No. 4 (Autumn, 2002), pp. 616-641
12. "NATO and Partner Chiefs of Defence conclude two days of meetings at NATO". NATO. 19 January 2012.
13. "Report: Algeria Pulls Textbook That Features Israel on World Map". Haaretz. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
14. "Algeria court ditches sentence for blogger who interviewed Israeli". The Times of Israel. 24 January 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
15. Mahiou, A. (2019). Algeria in the Mediterranean. In The Politics of Algeria (pp. 167-180). Routledge.
16. Hazem, Hada. "We're not a monarchy". alfadjr. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
17. "Explainer: Where do Arab states stand on normalising Israel ties?". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
18. "Israel, UAE and Bahrain sign US-brokered normalisation deals". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
19. "Algeria navy chase Israel submarine out of international waters". Middle East Monitor. 2 October 2021.
20. "Little known naval skirmish between Algerian Navy and Israeli submarine". Military Africa. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2024-02-11.

External links

• Report: Israel intensifies intelligence efforts in Algeria, Al Bawaba