Hassen Djebril and Rania Abu Shamala
03 February 2025•Update: 03 February 2025
- On Algeria's ties with France, he stresses 'significant efforts have been made to avoid reaching a rupture,' describes current relations as 'poisoned, and time is wasted with President Macron' as issues related to colonial memory, migration, disputed Western Sahara region have strained ties
ALGIERS, Algeria/ISTANBUL
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has confirmed that his country will not normalize relations with Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The statement came in an interview with the French daily Le Point on Sunday and it was featured in Monday's edition.
In response to a question about Algeria's readiness to normalize its relations with Israel if a Palestinian state were established, Tebboune said: "Of course, on the day that happens."
"Our priority is the establishment of a Palestinian state,” he said.
Algeria has consistently maintained a firm stance against normalization with Israel, rejecting any diplomatic ties until a Palestinian state is established.
The country refused to join the Abraham Accords in 2020 -- normalization deals between Israel and several Arab states -- and stressed its unwavering support for Palestinian rights and the establishment of a state based on pre-1967 borders.
Algeria's position is deeply rooted in its revolutionary history and its commitment to the Palestinian cause, standing in solidarity with those advocating for Palestinian self-determination.
Strained Algeria-France ties
Regarding Algeria's relationship with France, Tebboune denied "any intention of rupture," emphasizing that "significant efforts have been made to avoid reaching a rupture."
On the issue of the disputed Western Sahara region, which has strained bilateral ties after Paris recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the region last summer, Tebboune explained that he warned French President Emmanuel Macron "that he was making a grave mistake and that Algeria would lose out."
The Western Sahara issue has been a source of tensions between Rabat and Algiers for some five decades. The issue began in 1975 after the Spanish colonial withdrawal from the region, and the conflict between Morocco and the pro-independence Polisario Front turned into an armed struggle that lasted until 1991, when a ceasefire agreement was signed.
The UN does not recognize the sovereignty claims of either the Polisario Front or Morocco, which took control of most of Western Sahara in a 1975 agreement with Spain and Mauritania.
Morocco proposes extensive autonomy for the Western Sahara region under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front calls for a referendum on self-determination, a stance supported by Algeria, which hosts refugees from the region.
Tebboune described the current climate of relations between Algeria and France as "poisoned, and time is wasted with President Macron," after there had been great hopes to overcome the memory-related disagreements.
In response to a question about his willingness to resume dialogue, provided there are strong political statements from the French side, Tebboune replied: "Certainly, but I will not be the one to make them."
He added: "For me, the French Republic is, first and foremost, its president, and there are intellectuals and politicians in France whom we respect."
Relations between the two countries have been strained several times since Tebboune took office at the end of 2019, due to issues related to colonial memory, migration, and recently the disputed Western Sahara region.
