The extraordinary images emanating from Algeria earlier this week of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas shaking hands with Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh sparked considerable interest in Israel. Beyond the handshake, which won't likely lead to inter-Palestinian reconciliation, the fact that it took place in Algeria – which was marking its 60-year anniversary of independence from France – could emerge to be significant.
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Algeria, which has never had diplomatic relations with Israel, is adopting an increasingly extreme stance toward the Jewish state and could even become an alternate base of operations for Hamas, which is being pushed out of Turkey due to Ankara's rapprochement with Jerusalem. The backdrop to this development is Israel's burgeoning ties with Morocco, which is locked in a territorial dispute with Algeria over control of Western Sahara.
Last month, during a visit to Morocco, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked declared Israel's support for Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara. Additionally, numerous reports have recently cited significant arms deals between Israel and Morocco and improving security and diplomatic cooperation.
"Algeria's commitment to the Palestinian issue is longstanding, extending back to the days of [Yasser] Arafat, who viewed the Algerians' resistance to the French occupation as a role model," said Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser, the former head of the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate's Research Division and currently the director of the Project on Regional Middle East Developments at the Jerusalem Center.
"With that, there's no doubt the Israeli rapprochement with Morocco and the reports of strengthening military and security ties between the countries are giving the Algerians extra motivation to embrace Hamas.
"This doesn't necessarily mean the government there will agree to host Hamas and allow it to establish a logistic home front on its soil, because the Algerians still want to maintain legitimacy with the West, but this is certainly a scenario that could unfold if the current trend is amplified. From Hamas' perspective, establishing a presence in Algeria would be a step back compared to Turkey, because it is a more distant country that isn't a central transit hub for the various players, but it's possible it won't have a better alternative," said Kuperwasser.
Brig. Gen. (ret.) Amir Avivi, a former Director-General of the Office of the Chief of Staff and currently the CEO of Israel's Defense & Security Forum, said, "We need to understand that Iran is involved in this process. The Iranians are very active in North Africa and in Algeria, and advise and arm it. Hezbollah is present in the country and trains the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front fighting the Moroccans in Western Sahara, who use Algeria as their base of operations.
"The fact that Turkey is moving closer to Israel and is under heavy American pressure to remove Hamas from its territory, is turning Algeria into an alternate option for the terrorist organization. Hamas leaders abroad are always looking for places to put their headquarters, and we saw this in the Gulf states as well. Such a base for logistics allows it to train and recruit activists, focus on drug smuggling that provides additional revenue, and more – especially because Hamas' ability to create revenue streams in Gaza is limited."
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser, explained that "there are no free meals on the international level and this is just another example. Algeria didn't like Israel even before the [peace] deal with Morocco, but it's certainly plausible that the agreement exacerbated this attitude. Just as Arafat was pushed out of Lebanon into Tunisia, senior Hamas leaders could be pushed to Algeria, which is in a less central location but from a diplomatic perspective is still part of the Middle East."
Dr. Ido Zelkovitz, the head of the Middle East Studies Program at the Jezreel Valley Academic College, said: "We've seen Hamas experts go to universities across the Arab world to attain higher educations, and now Algeria could become a new center for acquiring knowledge and expertise for the organization. Hamas could also use it as a logistic base of operations where it can act freely and in relative security, train its people, develop weapons – specifically rocket and drone capabilities – accumulate financial resources, etc.
"The rivalry between Algeria and Morocco is deep and long-running, and Israeli officials need to understand that taking a stance on the matter also comes with a price. Haniyeh's welcome was no different than a head of state and essentially, Algeria is recognizing two Palestinian governments. This indicates it could allow Hamas to develop infrastructure in the country that extends far beyond political support. This needs to be a red warning sign for Israel's security services," said Zelkovitz.
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