Strong Algerian solidarity with Lebanon in wake of Israeli war

Djilalli Sofiane, leader of the Jil Jadid party, has raised alarms about the escalating conflict in Lebanon, calling the situation "explosive" and criticizing the international community's inaction regarding Israeli aggression.

In a statement to The New Arab, Sofiane stated, "It’s been a year since the Zionist entity publicly committed genocide, but the usual gestures of the pseudo Western-human-rights defenders are not there.” 

The Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, he said, including the assassination of key leaders like Hassan Nasrallah, "reveal the lack of limits to Israeli military actions, while Iran's response is justified under international law."

Sofiane's Jil Jadid party, founded in 2011 in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, has been actively involved in Algeria's political scene, especially during the Hirak movement.

Hirak, a mass protest movement that began in 2019, sought the removal of then-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika after decades of authoritarian rule. 

Sofiane’s comments come amid widespread condemnation across Algeria’s political spectrum in response to Israel’s recent aggression in Lebanon.

The Socialist Forces Front (FFS), led by Mehenni Haddadou, strongly denounced the Israeli attacks during his participation in the Arab Social Democratic Forum (ASDF) in Cairo on September 27. Haddadou reaffirmed his solidarity with Lebanon, declaring, “As Lebanon joins the list of victims of Zionist crimes, we strongly condemn this assault and demand its immediate end.”

The Labour Party (PT) also condemned the Israeli aggression, particularly in the wake of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination. In a statement on September 28, PT leader Louisa Hanoune described Nasrallah’s killing as a “cowardly assassination” and warned that it could be the prelude to a broader invasion of Lebanon. The party further expressed its full support for both Lebanon and Gaza, asserting that the ongoing challenges would only strengthen the resistance of the Lebanese and Palestinian people.

On the Islamist side, the El-Bina movement, led by Abdelkader Bengrina, condemned the "barbaric" Israeli attacks as a flagrant violation of Lebanese sovereignty. The party praised Lebanon’s Islamic resistance for standing with the Palestinian people against what they described as "the injustice and tyranny of the Zionist army."

Meanwhile, the Movement for Peace and Society (MSP) echoed similar sentiments, condemning Israel’s escalation and warning that it could lead the region toward total war. MSP former president Abderrezak Makri emphasized that the Israeli targeting of resistance leaders would not deter the movement, stating, “The assassinations perpetrated by the entity will not save it from its inevitable fate, which is its disappearance in the near future.”