The Freedoms Committee within the Tunisian Parliament granted approval to a proposed legislation on Tuesday, criminalizing the act of normalizing relations with Israel.
This step lays the groundwork for hearings on the bill, which will be succeeded by a public session for debate and voting.
The proposed legislation comes in the wake of Israeli retaliatory airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, resulting in over 5,000 casualties. These strikes were prompted by actions carried out by Hamas, which led to the deaths of at least 1,400 Israelis following their breach of the Gaza enclosure fence on October 7.
“The draft law includes seven chapters, in which penalties reach life imprisonment sentence”, Hela Jaballah, head of the freedoms Committee, said.
She further emphasized that the proposed legislation would penalize any form of normalization, including engagement in trade, commercial, and cultural exchanges, as well as services, military, or intelligence cooperation with Israel.
Tunisia currently lacks diplomatic relations with Israel, although Israeli tourists, primarily of Tunisian heritage, participate in annual Jewish festivities at the Ghriba synagogue in Djerba.
In the present year, an assault near the Djerba synagogue resulted in the tragic deaths of two security officers and two Jewish visitors. These victims included one individual of French-Tunisian nationality and another of Israeli-Tunisian origin.
In recent times, Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have established normalized diplomatic ties with Israel.
Saudi Arabia is currently delaying U.S.-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel, according to two sources familiar with Riyadh’s perspective. This move indicates a reevaluation of the kingdom’s foreign policy priorities, influenced by the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
