ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune plans to visit Russia in May, his office said Tuesday after he spoke on the phone with his counterpart in Moscow, Vladimir Putin.
Algeria has had warm ties with Moscow for decades, but Africa’s biggest gas exporter has also become crucial for Europe’s energy supplies in the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Tebboune and Putin discussed “bilateral relations between the two countries, especially energy cooperation,” the Algerian presidency said in a statement.
Tebboune is also set to pay a state visit to former colonial ruler France in May, but officials have not specified which country he will visit first.
Algeria, which pumps gas directly to Spain and Italy via undersea pipelines, has in recent months hosted a string of top European officials — including French President Emmanuel Macron in August — seeking to find alternatives to Russian energy supplies.
Algeria is a major buyer of Russian arms, and in 2021 bilateral trade was worth three billion dollars, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The North African country is in a decades-long struggle with its regional rival Morocco, particularly over the disputed Western Sahara territory, and cut off all ties with its neighbor in 2021 over alleged “hostile acts,” which Rabat has denied.
As a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, Russia has a direct influence over the Western Sahara file.
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Algeria’s Tebboune to visit Russia in May: Presidency
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Algeria’s Tebboune to visit Russia in May: Presidency
- Tebboune and Putin discussed "bilateral relations between the two countries, especially energy cooperation", the Algerian presidency said
- Algeria is a major buyer of Russian arms
Israeli minister says army to occupy all Gaza if Hamas does not disarm
JERUSALEM: Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Palestinian Islamist group Hamas may soon be given a deadline to lay down its weapons.
“We estimate that in the coming days, Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm and completely demilitarise Gaza,” Smotrich said in an interview with public broadcaster Kansas
“If it does not comply with it, the IDF (Israeli army) will have international legitimacy and American backing to do it itself, and the IDF is already preparing for this and is making plans,” said the minister, who is a member of Israel’s security cabinet charged with approving large-scale military operations.
Under the first phase of a US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza that halted two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli army withdrew to positions behind a so-called Yellow Line, but still controls over half of the territory.
The second phase that officially began last month plans for a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army and the disarmament of Hamas, which the militant group has vehemently opposed.
“The (Israeli military) will definitely enter and occupy Gaza if Hamas does not disband,” Smotrich said.
Asked how the military would do this, he said “there are two or three alternatives right now that we are examining.”
The peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump also calls for the establishment of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, called the International Stabilization Force (ISF), to which several countries have committed troops.
Asked how the Israeli army would operate against Hamas when foreign soldiers are deployed on the ground, Smotrich said the latter would “pull out very quickly and allow the (Israeli military) to enter. This is coordinated with the Americans.”
“By the way, I don’t yet see them going in that fast,” he added of the ISF.
“We estimate that in the coming days, Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm and completely demilitarise Gaza,” Smotrich said in an interview with public broadcaster Kansas
“If it does not comply with it, the IDF (Israeli army) will have international legitimacy and American backing to do it itself, and the IDF is already preparing for this and is making plans,” said the minister, who is a member of Israel’s security cabinet charged with approving large-scale military operations.
Under the first phase of a US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza that halted two years of fighting between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli army withdrew to positions behind a so-called Yellow Line, but still controls over half of the territory.
The second phase that officially began last month plans for a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army and the disarmament of Hamas, which the militant group has vehemently opposed.
“The (Israeli military) will definitely enter and occupy Gaza if Hamas does not disband,” Smotrich said.
Asked how the military would do this, he said “there are two or three alternatives right now that we are examining.”
The peace plan put forward by US President Donald Trump also calls for the establishment of a 20,000-strong peacekeeping force, called the International Stabilization Force (ISF), to which several countries have committed troops.
Asked how the Israeli army would operate against Hamas when foreign soldiers are deployed on the ground, Smotrich said the latter would “pull out very quickly and allow the (Israeli military) to enter. This is coordinated with the Americans.”
“By the way, I don’t yet see them going in that fast,” he added of the ISF.
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