Algeria, Palestine: An Unbreakable Bond of Solidarity from Ben Bella to Tebboune — From the Genesis of Revolution to the Recognition of Statehood

Algeria and Palestine: An Unbreakable Bond of Solidarity from Ben Bella to Tebboune — From the Genesis of Revolution to the Recognition of Statehood

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers, Algeria |  From the dawn of its independence, Algeria engraved solidarity with oppressed peoples into the very fabric of its identity and foreign policy. No cause embodies this principle more profoundly than that of Palestine. As early as 1963, under the leadership of the revolutionary president Ahmed Ben Bella, Algiers rose as the “Mecca of Revolutionaries,” opening its doors and its heart to liberation movements worldwide, foremost among them the Palestinian struggle.

Far from diminishing, this tradition has grown in strength across decades and presidencies — from Ahmed Ben Bella to Houari Boumediene, from Chadli Bendjedid to Abdelaziz Bouteflika, and today under President Abdelmadjid Tebboune — forging an indestructible bond between Algeria and Palestine, one rooted in shared history, shared sacrifice, and shared defiance.

Houari Boumediene: The Midwife of the Palestinian Revolution

History will record that under the visionary leadership of President Houari Boumediene, Algeria became the true midwife of the modern Palestinian revolution. In September 1964, when Yasser Arafat and 75 of his comrades arrived in Algiers, Boumediene confronted them with a historic challenge: “Since 1959 you have created movements only on paper. I say to you now — take action, issue a communiqué, inscribe your presence in the struggle, and I will support you.”

They obeyed. On December 31, 1964, with an attack against a Zionist water canal and the issuance of a communiqué under the banner of Fatah, the Palestinian armed struggle officially began. Algeria, under Boumediene, threw the full weight of its state apparatus behind the cause: opening the first PLO office in Algiers, training fighters at the Cherchell Military Academy, granting financial support, and waging an uncompromising diplomatic campaign.

Boumediene’s masterstroke came at the Arab League Summit in Casablanca in September 1965. Rejecting all foreign tutelage over the Palestinian movement, he demanded and secured unanimous Arab recognition of Fatah as “the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.” Yasser Arafat would later declare: “Houari Boumediene was not only an Arab or Islamic leader, but an African and Third World leader whose commitment to Palestine was anchored in a universal philosophy of liberation — from Vietnam to South Africa.”

The Diplomatic Struggle: From the UN to the Declaration of Algiers

Algeria’s commitment never wavered. In 1974, with Abdelaziz Bouteflika presiding over the UN General Assembly, the “Palestinian question” was inscribed on the world body’s agenda for the very first time. Against fierce opposition, a landmark decision was taken: to invite the PLO, represented by Yasser Arafat — traveling on an Algerian diplomatic passport — to address the Assembly. His historic speech, holding an olive branch in one hand and a rifle in the other, marked the entry of Palestine into the global conscience.

That support reached its symbolic zenith on Algerian soil itself. On November 15, 1988, under the protection of President Chadli Bendjedid, the Palestinian National Council proclaimed the independence of the State of Palestine in Algiers. The “Declaration of Algiers” remains etched in history as the moment Algeria lent its sovereignty to bring forth that of Palestine.

Abdelmadjid Tebboune: The Continuity of an Unbroken Struggle

Today, amidst the genocidal assault on Gaza, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune embodies the continuity of Algeria’s unbending commitment. “Algeria will never abandon Palestine. We defended it yesterday, and we will continue to defend it tomorrow,” he declared.

On the international stage, Algeria fights relentlessly. Sitting on the UN Security Council, it spearheaded Resolution 2728, calling for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan. In April 2024, Algeria submitted a draft resolution recommending full UN membership for Palestine — endorsed by 12 out of 15 Council members, yet struck down by the lone veto of the United States, a flagrant act fanning the flames of conflict.

In October 2022, Algeria launched the “Algiers Declaration” to unify Palestinian ranks, and in March 2025 it boycotted the Cairo Arab Summit, rejecting exclusionary formats that betrayed the unity of the Palestinian cause.

A Sovereignty That Disturbs, A Voice That Resonates

Such steadfastness is not without cost. Algeria’s independence, its refusal to host foreign military bases, and its principled rejection of normalization with the Zionist entity make it a target of campaigns of destabilization and disinformation. Yet, as Boumediene once said and Tebboune now repeats: “They want to silence Algeria. But no conspiracy will alter Algeria’s position on just causes.”

The Algerian-Palestinian solidarity is not a diplomatic posture; it is the very soul of Algeria, forged in the crucible of its own 132-year struggle against colonialism. In Palestine, Algeria sees the mirror of its own revolution, and it pledges — yesterday, today, and tomorrow — to stand with the oppressed until final victory, by every legitimate and diplomatic means.

The Palestinian cause is not negotiable; it is a matter of principle, dignity, and historical memory.

Long live Algeria. Long live free Palestine.

Translated from: L’Algérie et la Palestine : « Une solidarité indéfectible et inébranlable… », La Patrie News, retrieved from [ https://lapatrienews.dz/lalgerie-et-la-palestine-une-solidarite-indefectible-et-inebranlable-de-ahmed-ben-bella-houari-boumedienne-chadli-bendjedid-abdelaziz-bouteflika-abdelmadjid-tebboune-de-la-genese/ ]

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