Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune pledged $100 million in aid to the Palestinians, as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas visited Algiers on Monday.
Tebboune said at a joint press conference that the funding was "in keeping with Algeria's revolutionary history and the entire Algerian people's commitment to support the just Palestinian cause under all circumstances."
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A handout picture provided by the Palestinian Authority's press office on December 5, 2021, shows Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Algiers, Algeria
(Photo: AFP)
Algeria is set to host an Arab League summit in March 2022, the first since Morocco renewed ties with Israel amid a string of U.S.-brokered normalization deals with the Jewish state.
Tebboune said Monday that Algeria plans "to put the Palestinian cause at the center of this important event."
Algeria’s television reports also said that Tebboune plans to host Palestinian factions for talks.
The Palestinian leader's tour of North Africa, during which he also plans to visit Tunisia, comes two weeks after Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed an unprecedented defense deal with Morocco.
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Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Moroccan counterpart Abdellatif Loudiyi sign a mutual defense pact on Thursday
(Photo: AFP)
That deal stoked already high tensions with Algeria, which sees Israel’s defense cooperation with the kingdom as a danger to its national security.
A top official for Algeria argued that Gantz's visit "targeted" his country.
Algiers broke off diplomatic ties with Rabat in August, citing "hostile" actions by Morocco, allegations which the kingdom denies.