Algeria–Israel relations
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Algeria and Israel have no official diplomatic relations, with Algeria being part of the
Arab League The Arab League ( ar, الجامعة العربية, ' ), formally the League of Arab States ( ar, جامعة الدول العربية, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world, which is located in Northern Africa, Western Africa, E ...
boycott of Israel, and officially does not recognize the State of Israel. Algeria refuses entry to any person holding an
Israeli passport The Israeli passport ( he, דַּרְכּוֹן יִשְׂרְאֵלִי, ''Darkon Yisre'eli''; ar, جواز سفر إسرائيلي) is a passport issued to Israeli citizens to enable them to travel outside Israel, and entitles the bearer to th ...
or any other passport with a visa from Israel.


20th century


1950s

During the
Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
, Israel offered diplomatic assistance and collaborated on intelligence matters with France, opposing Algerian independence. Israel closely cooperated with French intelligence services, providing valuable information about the National Liberation Front (FLN). Furthermore, Israeli agents frequently engaged in direct combat against Algerian nationalists, fighting alongside French forces. Israel voted consistently against Algeria's independence in the United Nations.


1960s and 1970s

Shortly after Algeria gained its independence from France in 1962, Israel recognized the country's independence. In 1962, Algeria became one of the first countries to recognize the
Palestine Liberation Organization The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO; ar, منظمة التحرير الفلسطينية, ') is a Palestinian nationalism, Palestinian nationalist political and militant organization founded in 1964 with the initial purpose of establ ...
(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). During the Six-Day War in 1967, Algeria sent a battalion of infantry and a
squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...
of MiG-21s to Egypt, losing three Mig-21s to Israel. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Algeria sent an expeditionary force to fight Israel, including 59 aircraft (MiG-21, MiG-17,
Su-7 The Sukhoi Su-7 ( NATO designation name: Fitter-A) is a swept wing, supersonic fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union in 1955. Originally, it was designed as a tactical, low-level dogfighter, but was not successful in this role. On t ...
), 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 officer A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
s, and 192 officers in total.


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 Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...
met President of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika at the funeral of the Moroccan King
Hassan II of Morocco Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Ala ...
on July 25, 1999, that alleged unofficial comments were made.


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


2020s

In 2020, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said that he was interested in improving relations with Algeria and other Arab countries. 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. 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," 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.


See also

* History of the Jews in Algeria


References


External links


Report: Israel intensifies intelligence efforts in Algeria
Al Bawaba ''Al Bawaba'' (البوابة, Arabic for "the portal" or "the gate") is a news, blogging and media website headquartered in Amman, Jordan with an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Since 2001 it publishes the Mena Report, which covers the ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Algeria-Israel relations Israel Bilateral relations of Israel