Tunisia denies diplomatic talks with Israel

TUNIS, Tunisia

Tunisia on Thursday shot down reports of diplomatic talks with Israel, blasting them as "rumors spread by sites affiliated with Israel."

In a statement, Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry denied “what some websites affiliated with the occupying Israeli entity are promoting about false allegations about the existence of diplomatic talks with Tunisia."

"These websites have been spreading these rumors in repeated attempts to harm the image of our country and its firm position in support of the inalienable Palestinian right and the statute of limitations," it added.

"Tunisia is not interested in establishing diplomatic relations with an occupying entity ... as (Tunisia) supports the Palestinian brothers in their struggle until their legitimate rights are restored,” the statement said.

On Wednesday, Arab media outlets, citing Israeli website Hayom, reported news of "diplomatic talks between Tunisia and Israel regarding a possible normalization rapprochement."

There was no official comment on the reports from the Israeli side.

Since September 2020, under a controversial initiative known as the Abraham Accords, the Arab states of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan have signed deals to normalize relations with Israel.

The deals have drawn widespread condemnations from Palestinians, who say the accords ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.

*Writing by Bassel Barakat