The hypocrite Algerian regime has always said it does not recognize Israel and stands with “Palestine either oppressed or oppressor”,lashing out vehemently at Arab countries which have normalized relations with Israel within the frame of the Abraham accords brokered by Washington.
Yet,Algiers has made a sudden U-turn over the weekend at the UN General Assembly convening in New York. Its contradictory discourse was exposed when it joined the outright majority of UN member countries in endorsing a declaration setting “tangible,timebound,and irreversible steps” towards a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
Algeria’s vote for the two-state solution declaration represents an official position recognizing the legitimacy of the existence of the State of Israel alongside a Palestinian State,“two democratic and sovereign States,living side by side in peace & security within their secure and recognized borders on the basis of the 1967 lines”,including the West Bank,East Jerusalem,Gaza.
The volte-face has left everyone scratching his head about the reasons behind this swift change of heart. Is it really a genuine political shift,or just a tactical move to weather and absorb the growing international pressure the Algerian junta is facing from all fronts?
The UN General Assembly declaration condemns the attacks against Israel by Hamas militants on October 7,2023,which triggered the war in Gaza. It also calls for “the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza,and normalization between Israel and Arab countries”.
in July 2020,President Abdelmadjid Tebboune told France 24 TV station: “Palestine is a sacred cause for us and it is enshrined in our constitution. Algeria’s position is constant: we are against normalization.”
This position has been reaffirmed multiple times,notably during his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2023,where he described the Palestinian cause as “central” to Algerian foreign policy.
But now,the Algerian regime has softened its stand and kept low profile to avoid risky clashes with the United States and Israel. It has aligned its position with Arab and Western countries and many others around the globe.
The seven-page declaration is the culmination of an international conference organized at the U.N. in July by Saudi Arabia and France on the decades-long conflict. A resolution endorsing the declaration received 142 votes in favor and 10 against,while 12 countries abstained.
The text also condemns the attacks by Israel against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza,siege,and starvation,“which have resulted in a devastating humanitarian catastrophe and protection crisis.”
The declaration says that only by ending the war in Gaza,releasing all hostages,ending occupation,rejecting violence and terror,realizing an independent,sovereign and democratic Palestinian State and providing solid security guarantees for Israel and Palestine,can normal relations and coexistence among the region’s peoples and countries prevail.
Hostage taking is prohibited under international law,says the text,rejecting any actions leading to territorial or demographic changes,including forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population,which constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.
According to some analysts,the vote of Algeria for the two-state solution sends a message to Trump administration and Tel Aviv that it opposes Hamas and welcomes normalization with the Hebrew State.
The Algerian regime has finally bowed and capitulated after years of defiance and hatred for imperialism,capitalism and Jews. But its endgame is ONE thing: preserving the status quo on the Sahara issue and its Polisario militias. But will its tactics work? And will Washington be fooled by the deceitful and traitor ruling Junta in Algeria?
United News - unews.co.za