Atlantic Council North Africa Initiative Director Karim Mezran writes that among the consequences of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas is the balance of relations in North Africa, especially threatening to reignite the rivalry between Morocco and Algeria.

Caught in a decades-long rivalry, Morocco’s 2020 normalization of relations with Israel extinguished hopes that the two countries would ease tensions and establish diplomatic relations.

Now with the war in Gaza entering its second month, Mezran writes that North Africa and Europe are caught in the middle. “The only viable solution for a lasting peace,” he says, “is to formulate a plan that facilitates the reconciliation of the Palestinians and Israelis … in a manner that does not neglect the entirety of the Arab world.”

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 11/17/23