Algeria's announcement this week that it was severing its diplomatic ties with Morocco came as no surprise — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had issued a statement Aug. 18 saying relations with Morocco were being reviewed. Still, the depth of accusations Algeria leveled against Israel Aug. 24 did surprise Jerusalem. For the moment, the Israeli government has issued no comment, preferring to keep a low profile.
Algerian anger at Israel is not new, and is mainly related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As such, it has intensified since Israel signed the Abraham Accords with Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Soon after the agreements were announced, Tebboune said, “There is a mad rush among Arabs to normalize ties. We will not participate in it. We will not accept it. We will not bless it. The Palestine cause is sacred, and we will not give it up.”
