Tunisia could criminalize calls for ‘normalization’ with Israel
The Tunisian parliament has approved a draft law making normalization of relations with Israel illegal, including participating in or attempting to engage in trade, economic cooperation, cultural, and military activities.
The move on Tuesday comes amid ongoing protests in the North African country in support of the Palestinians, as Israeli reprisal strikes on blockaded Gaza have killed over 7,000 people after Hamas militants took over 200 captives and killed up to 1,400 Israelis during the October 7 incursion into Israel.
“The draft law includes seven chapters, in which penalties reach a life imprisonment sentence,” Reuters quoted Hela Jaballah, the head of Tunisia’s Parliamentary Committee on Rights and Freedoms, as saying.
The life imprisonment penalty is for “the crimes of espionage, supporting the Zionist enemy, and carrying weapons against the Palestinians,” Tunisian MP Youssef Tarshoun told the New Arab news agency.
He further explained that the proposed legislation would forbid nationals of the African country from participating in international forums and organizations held within the territory of the “Zionist entity.”
The Freedoms Committee moved to expedite discussion of the draft law after 97 legislators requested its urgent consideration in response to the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict. Parliamentary hearings are scheduled for October 30, followed by a public session for discussion and voting on its passage.
Tunisia has no diplomatic ties with Israel, as the African country’s government has maintained an official position in support of the Palestinian right to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Only five out of 22 Arab countries – Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates – have normalized relations with Israel. Sudan’s transitional government announced plans to normalize relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords, which were signed by the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco in 2020, but the idea was met with opposition from several Sudanese political parties and was never implemented.
In August, Tunisian President Kais Saied declared that the term ‘normalization’ does not exist for him when it comes to Israel, urging newly appointed ambassadors from four countries – Serbia, Iran, Iraq, and Turkey – to never forget the Palestinian cause, which he described as the “central issue for all nations.”
Imad Oulad Jibril, an MP and member of the Tunisian parliament’s Rights and Liberties Committee, told the media that the country’s draft bill will not affect relations with states that have signed diplomatic accords with Israel.
“For example, we deal with Morocco, and it chose to normalize its relationship... Our commercial relationship remains valid, and relations of friendship and brotherhood continue,” Jibril told the New Arab.
