A Tunisian legislator on Tuesday ripped up an Israeli flag during a parliament session to push his demands for a law criminalizing relations with Israel, The Associated Press reported.

A left-wing opposition coalition proposed a bill making it a crime to "normalize" relations with Israel, but the debate has been indefinitely delayed because parliament officials did not see it as a priority.

To protest the delay, opposition lawmaker Ammar Amroussia tore the Israeli flag, in images shown on national television.

Moderate Islamist party Ennahdha, which is part of the governing coalition, warned such a law could hurt Tunisia's relations with western nations and international organizations.

Tunisia, like most Arab countries, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

In 1996, Tunisia and Israel opened interest sections in each other's country, but Tunis froze relations in 2000 in protest against Israel's response to the Second Intifada.

In 2014, Tunisia's tourism minister faced criticism from parliamentarians over a trip to Israel she took in 2006 to take part in a UN training program for Palestinian Arab youths.

She, along with another minister, also faced censure later that year after being accused of promoting "normalization" with Israel. Those motions were withdrawn.

Last year, Tunisia banned the film "Wonder Woman" which stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot, because Gadot had defended Israel's counterterorism Operation Protective Edge on Facebook.