Tunis
TunisiStock

Tunisia has no plans to follow in Morocco's footsteps and recognize Israel, its Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said on Tuesday, according to AFP.

Mechichi insisted that that establishing relations with the Jewish state was "not on the agenda".

Morocco last week became the fourth Arab state this year, after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, to announce it had agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

US President Donald Trump in turn recognized Morocco’s sovereignty in Western Sahara.

"We respect Morocco's choice, Morocco is a sister country that we love very much," Mechichi was quoted as having told France 24 in an interview. He added however, that "for Tunisia, the question is not on the agenda."

Mechichi said he had not been approached by the Trump administration about the issue.

"Every country has its own reality, its own truth and its own diplomacy, which it considers best for its people," he said.

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

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 2017, Tunisia banned the film "Wonder Woman" which stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot, because Gadot had defended Israel's counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge on Facebook.

And, 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.

Earlier this year, Tunisian President Kais Saied described Trump’s proposed peace deal for Israel and the Palestinian Authority as the "injustice of the century".