Morocco-Israel Diplomatic Deal Alarms Neighboring North African States

Only Algeria, through its Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad, has reacted to this normalization. "When we tell citizens that there are operations abroad aimed at the stability of the country, here are the proofs, when we see that we are surrounded by dangers and wars. There is a desire to bring the Israeli and Zionist entity back to our borders," he said during a meeting.

He thus called on Algerians to unite in order to overcome the multidimensional crisis the country is going through. "We must settle our internal problems among ourselves and be in solidarity to find the best way to get out of this crisis," added Mr. Djerad.

On the Tunisian side, no official reaction has been issued so far. There is only a fringe of the population, political parties and several members of civil society who are crying out their indignation. "The King of Morocco joins the caravan of Arab betrayal," criticized Issam Chebbi, president of the socio-liberal party al-Joumhouri. In a Facebook post, former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki also condemned "the normalization of the Moroccan regime with Israel at a time when its colonization policy is on the rise, violating all the rights of the Palestinians".

While it is true that Tunisia has not reacted so far, "public opinion is a very important variable in the approval or hostility that Tunisia will display towards Morocco," said Kader Abderrahim, director of research at the Institute for Prospective and Security in Europe (IPSE) in an interview with L’Orient-Le Jour. "The population can clearly express itself as it is part of one of the only true democracies in the Arab world. Moreover, the country is now experiencing what Europeans have been experiencing for years: electoral appointments," he said.