Tunisian President Kais Saied said that the word “normalization” does not exist for him when it comes to Israel.
Saied made the comments at a meeting with foreign ambassadors in the capital Tunis, as quoted by Times of Israel.
The Tunisian President called on the newly appointed ambassadors from Serbia, Iran, Iraq and Turkey to never forget that the Palestinian cause is the “central issue for all nations.”
He also stressed the importance of advocating for Jerusalem to be the capital of an independent Palestinian state, for a right of return of “Palestinian refugees”, and for Palestinian Arabs to regain their rights over “all of Palestine.”
Tunisia, like most Arab countries, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. After several Arab countries normalized ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, Tunisia reiterated it is not interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and its position will not be affected by any international changes.
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.
In 2018, a Tunisian legislator ripped up an Israeli flag during a parliament session to push his demands for a law criminalizing relations with Israel.
Saied in early 2020 described then-US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal for Israel and the Palestinian Authority as the "injustice of the century".
His latest comments follow the meeting between Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush which caused an uproar in Libya.
The head of Libya’s Government of National Unity, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, suspended Mangoush and referred her to investigation following her meeting with Minister Cohen.
It was later reported that Mangoush left the country and boarded a private plane to Turkey.