Algeria president confirms rumours of 1988 plot to bomb Arafat in Algiers

Algeria has for the first time publicly claimed that there were attempts to bomb the Palace of Nations in Algiers during the 1988 meeting of the Palestine National Council, where Yasser Arafat declared the establishment of the State of Palestine.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune made the remarks while speaking to senior military commanders on Saturday.

"Despite the dangers at the time, Algeria hosted the Palestinians to declare their state," Tebboune said.

"Army officers know what was being plotted against Algeria, including the bombing of the Palace of Nations." He did not name the state or entities allegedly behind the attempt.

This is the first public announcement by a sitting Algerian president confirming the long-rumoured plan to bomb the venue of the declaration. Unofficial reports have circulated over the years, suggesting Israel had planned to strike the palace.

On 15 November 1988, the Palestinian National Council proclaimed the State of Palestine at an extraordinary meeting held one year after the start of the First Intifada.

Algeria, then under the presidency of Chadli Bendjedid, offered its capital, Algiers, as the stage for this historic declaration.

The 'Palestinian Declaration of Independence' was drafted by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and read aloud by Arafat, then chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), to the assembled council members. 

In the text, the council proclaimed "the establishment of the State of Palestine on our Palestinian territory with its capital Jerusalem".

The declaration drew legitimacy from UN General Assembly Resolution 181 — the 1947 partition plan — and later UN resolutions.

It invoked Palestinians' right to self-determination, citing decades of displacement and occupation. 

Although it asserted Palestinian statehood, the PLO did not at the time exercise control over any territory and functioned as a government in exile. 

After the declaration, the UN "acknowledged" the proclamation, directing that "Palestine" replace "Palestine Liberation Organisation" within the UN system. 

Recognition followed quickly: by mid-December 1988, 75 UN member states had recognised the State of Palestine, with more countries following in early 1989.

The 1988 declaration came amid heightened tensions in the Maghreb region.

Three years earlier, in 1985, Israel had carried out a bombing of the PLO headquarters in a residential suburb of Tunis, where Arafat and other senior PLO leaders were living, killing more than 60 people, including Palestinians and Tunisians, though the Palestinian leader survived. 

Local reports suggest Algeria deployed air defences, radar systems, and interceptor jets on high alert to prevent any similar attack on the Algiers meeting. 

Some accounts indicate the plan was abandoned after Algeria installed anti-aircraft systems, high-precision radars, imposed a no-fly zone, and restricted air traffic over the area roughly 30km west of downtown Algiers. 

At the time, Algeria was also navigating intense political upheaval, a month after the 5 October events that ended single-party rule.

In his address, Tebboune reaffirmed Algeria's unwavering support for Palestine, despite "maintaining friendships" with states that don't share the same stance.

He described Israel's war on Gaza as "a genocide … committed for the first time in human history before the eyes of the world", and insisted that the only solution lies in an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

While Algeria has maintained strong ties with Washington, it has played a key role in pushing for a ceasefire resolution at the UN Security Council since the start of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023. 

In February, the Algerian president said his country would be ready to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, the moment a fully sovereign Palestinian state is established.  

During Saturday's speech, Tebboune also outlined Algeria's broader regional and diplomatic priorities.

He signalled tensions with one Gulf state, which he refused to name, over interference in Algeria's internal affairs while praising cooperation with others.

On defence, the president, who's also the country's military minister, said Algeria's borders remain "safe because our army is strong", citing advances in hybrid and cyber warfare, and military manufacturing. 

He added that Algeria continues to seek dialogue with Sahel nations facing instability, expressing hope that "reason and awareness will prevail, and that brotherly ties will be preserved".

Algeria plans to spend $25 million on defence next year to strengthen its borders and manage regional tensions with neighbours in the Sahel and Maghreb.