The failed Algerian Summit

After a two-year impasse due to COVID-19, Algeria held the Arab Summit that it was its turn to organise. The meeting, which had been threatened with suspension or postponement on several occasions, was doomed to failure from the moment it was announced. 

Nevertheless, we should be grateful for the country's tenacity in holding this meeting of indecency, allowing us to witness, stupefied, a spectacle of monumental absurdities. 

If King Mohammed VI did not attend the summit, it was because the Algerian regime was determined to prevent him from doing so. It was obvious that his presence in Algiers would have drawn international attention to him, as well as turning the meeting into a true reconciliation summit between the two countries. Aware of this, Algeria's unreasonable attitude prevented him from attending by treating Foreign Minister Bourita in a demeaning manner. It was a clear message that Moroccan representation was not welcome. Least of all the King's. 

Indeed, the Algerian dictatorship was capable of violating the rules of Arab League protocol to receive the Moroccan Foreign Minister. It expelled and harassed part of the press accompanying the minister to cover the event. Finally, he amputated the map of Morocco, cowardly blaming it on a graphical error. All this against the unbreathable backdrop of the bile that the Algerian dictatorship's press was spewing against the Kingdom of Morocco. 

The summit on 1 and 2 November, which was attended by the supreme leader Chengriha, had as its motto "Arab reconciliation". However, the central theme announced was the Palestinian question. In reality, Algiers' real objective was to put Israel on the spot along with the countries that had normalised their relations with the Hebrew country (United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco) within the framework of the Abraham Accords. In Morocco's case, however, it was more a matter of resuming relations that had been suspended since 2000. 

The Algerian regime, in its attempt to protect its ally Iran, opposed condemning the Ayatollahs' regime's interference in the Arab world. However, during the floor, several mentions were made of this threat. Nor did he succeed in condemning Israel. And his failed attempt to rehabilitate the Syrian dictator for this meeting sowed further divisions within the League. 

The disaster of the Algerian summit transcends the content and also extends to the level of representation. Not a single head of state from the countries that have normalised relations with Israel attended this farce. Moreover, 11 of the 22 member states were not represented by their heads of state (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Sudan, Yemen and Morocco). 

The "Algiers Declaration" itself, which sanctioned the work of this 31st edition, underlined the imperative of consolidating joint action to "preserve the national security of Arab states", in addition to "contributing to the resolution of the crises they are experiencing in order to protect their territorial integrity". 

A Declaration contrary to the hostile dynamics of the Algerian dictatorship in relation to the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco. It harbours and arms separatists who threaten, from its territory, the security of its neighbour, unilaterally breaking off relations, even closing its airspace, and boasting under the slogan of "Arab unity and reconciliation". 

As for resolving the crisis, it is pathetic to see Algeria repeatedly refusing Morocco's outstretched hand and King Mohammed VI's invitation to direct and sincere dialogue. But the biggest fraud of this summit was the failure to address the war in Syria, Libya, Yemen or the very conflict instigated by Algeria against Morocco. 

Despite the grandiloquent rhetoric, the Declaration concluded with a minimal agreement, without condemning either Israel or Iran. It supported the Palestinian authority and the two-state solution, with a shared capital in Jerusalem, as had already been established more than 20 years ago. Nothing new. And more of the same. 

The comical part of the event was the remarks of the puppet-president Tebboune, who came out in front of a group of journalists attached to the regime, in which he stated that "the Palestinian question will be dealt with by me personally". We don't know whether he is going to declare war on Israel or ask it "please". And he forgets that the president of the al-Quods Committee is King Mohammed VI and that the Palestinian question depends on the decision of the UN Security Council, where he has neither voice nor vote nor diplomatic stature. 

The Algerian tragedy had been simmering since its announcement and hovered over the summit until its conclusion. In fact, nothing of significance was expected to resolve the internal disputes among its members. In this respect, the Arab League had already shown its utter uselessness throughout its history. 

Moreover, the Summit would confirm this political division, led by Algeria, which, on the other hand, has been deliberately ignored, despite the fact that it poses a threat to the very continuity of this pan-Arab organisation. 

In this context, the ideology of Arab reconciliation was devoid of any content. Rather, the abject aim of Algeria's political-military power was division and confrontation. Algeria is known to be highly suspicious of the Arab League because of its satanic alliance with Iran, as well as its particular hatred of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Gulf monarchies in general. 

As a result, the summit was a blow to Algeria, which sought to instrumentalise the meeting to pit the Arab world against Israel by whitewashing Iran. Unfortunately, the Palestinian cause was merely a pretext. 

The fiasco of the Algerian summit is due to the Iranian regime's influence over Algeria. This alignment will have unforeseeable consequences for Algeria. By now, the international community is clear about Algeria's position, which it considers to be lacking in moral character because of its support for the invasion of Ukraine and the illegal annexation of its territories. 

How does it intend to set itself up as the liberator of Palestine, and when will the liberation of Kabylia and the Sahrawi people held hostage in Tindouf be achieved?