Algerian Army Asserts it will Remain Neutral in Elections

The Algerian Republican army in front of the Presidential Palace (Reuters)
The Algerian Republican army in front of the Presidential Palace (Reuters)
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Algerian Army Asserts it will Remain Neutral in Elections

The Algerian Republican army in front of the Presidential Palace (Reuters)
The Algerian Republican army in front of the Presidential Palace (Reuters)

Algerian Ministry of National Defense confirmed that the national army is a "republican army" and will remain neutral during the upcoming legislative elections.

“We say once again that the People's National Army is a republican army and will remain so in an irreversible manner [...] an army that assumes its constitutional duties as required by the laws of the republic,” read an editorial in the June edition of the Army Magazine.

It asserted that the military establishment once again reminded everyone that the People's National Army assumes its constitutional duties, as required by the laws of the Republic, in a spirit of commitment and full readiness to defend Algeria's sovereignty and unity.

The magazine described the elections scheduled for May 12 as a very important date for the country's future.

It asserted that the army would remain neutral during the polls unless it was required to provide the appropriate conditions that ensure the elections' security and allow the people to freely choose their representatives.

The statement also indicated that the members of the Algerian army “will participate with their fellow citizens in this national duty, by casting their votes freely and transparently.”

“The army refuses to be dragged into the game played by those who have lost their way,” it added.

The statement highlighted that the people have high hopes for change and establishing a new Algeria, stressing that they will always be supported by the military institution that is faithful to its obligations and commitments.



UN Human Rights Office Says Israeli Plan for Settlement Near East Jerusalem Breaks Int'l Law

 A general view shows the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP)
A general view shows the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP)
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UN Human Rights Office Says Israeli Plan for Settlement Near East Jerusalem Breaks Int'l Law

 A general view shows the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP)
A general view shows the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP)

The UN human rights office said on Friday an Israeli plan to build to build thousands of new homes between an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and near East Jerusalem was illegal under international law, and would put nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction, which it described as a war crime. 

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Thursday vowed to press on a long-delayed settlement project, saying the move would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state. 

The UN rights office spokesperson said the plan would break the West Bank into isolated enclaves and that it was "a war crime for an occupying power to transfer its own civilian population into the territory it occupies". 

About 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel annexed East Jerusalem in 1980, a move not recognised by most countries, but has not formally extended sovereignty over the West Bank. 

Most world powers say settlement expansion erodes the viability of a two-state solution by breaking up territory the Palestinians seek as part of a future independent state. 

The two-state plan envisages a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, existing side by side with Israel, which captured all three territories in the 1967 Middle East war. 

Israel cites historical and biblical ties to the area and says the settlements provide strategic depth and security and that the West Bank is "disputed" not "occupied".