Tunisia and Israel are in diplomatic talks about a possible rapprochement between them, but the move has run into difficulties both from the opposition in the North African country and from neighboring Algeria, which is trying to thwart it, Israel Today has learned.
A political source told Israel Today that "expanding the circle of countries in the region with which we have ties is our consistent goal, but it is true that Algeria is still hostile."
According to a report in the international Arab newspaper "Rai al-Yum", Tunisian President Keis Said wants to get closer to Israel, but "Algeria is a barrier to the fall of Tunisia to normalization."
It was also written that the Tunisian authorities have interests vis-à-vis Algeria in the fields of energy, trade and financial funds - and they understand that they will lose all of these if they approach Israel.
In addition, it was reported that Algeria is blocking Israel from receiving observer status in the African Union, and has launched a campaign to expel her from the forum.
Israel and Tunisia have had partial diplomatic ties in the past.
Following the Oslo Accords, the two countries opened offices of interest in Tunisia and Tel Aviv in 1996, but these closed after the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000. Current President Said facilitated Israelis' visits to the country, but encountered opposition from home to Israel.
In the summer of 2021, amid an economic crisis and claims that the opposition was undermining the government, Said froze the activities of parliament and dissolved the government, and in March dissolved the parliament.
According to Dr. Miriam Gaz-Avigal, chairman of the World Federation of Tunisian Jewry in Israel, even today, after the partial freeze on relations between the two countries, Israelis can enter Tunisia with an Israeli passport, albeit to a limited extent.
"Every year on Lag B'Omer, the Al-Ghariba celebration is held in Tunisia on the island of Djerba in the south of the country, and about a month ago, about 500 Israelis visited the place to participate.
Beyond that, during the rest of the year, Israelis are barred from entering Tunisia.
"Tunisia is a moderate and relatively advanced country, but there is a strong Islamist opposition that opposes any normalization with Israel," Gaz-Abigail said.
"Under Zin Abadin Ben Ali's rule, Israelis entered Tunisia without restriction, but he fled the country following the Arab Spring events that began in Tunisia. "Case Said, who some say is interested in getting closer to Israel, but the Islamist opposition has remained strong and is apparently a significant deterrent in this regard."
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