Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune officially confirmed for the first time the existence of a plot to bomb the Palace of Nations in Algiers during the event that witnessed the declaration of the Palestinian state in 1988.

This was stated in a speech before senior Algerian army leaders at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters, broadcast on official television.

Tebboune said, highlighting Algeria’s stance on the Palestinian cause: “Here in Algeria, the Palestinian state was declared despite the risks that existed at the time.. You army officers know what was being plotted against Algeria, including bombing the Palace of Nations,” without specifying who planned the bombing.

On November 15, 1988, Algeria hosted the ninth session of the Palestinian National Council at the Palace of Nations in Algiers, during which the late President Yasser Arafat declared the establishment of the Palestinian state.

For the first time, Algeria officially announced that there was a plot to bomb the venue of the Palestinian state declaration event. Informal platforms had circulated information suggesting that Israel planned to bomb the Palace of Nations with fighter jets at the moment of the declaration, but the Algerian army foiled the plan by deploying an air defense system, advanced radar devices, and interceptor jets within the airspace.

Tebboune confirmed that Algeria fulfilled its duty towards Palestine out of conscience and support for justice, hosting the Palestinian leadership headed by Yasser Arafat when conditions worsened in 1982.

He stressed that despite this threat, Algeria did not back down or compromise “because its conscience is with Palestine.”

He added that Algeria’s position on Palestine “has not changed and will not change, despite our friendship with some countries that have completely opposite policies.”

The Algerian president described the Israeli war on Gaza as “a genocide committed for the first time in human history before the eyes of the world,” affirming that the only solution to the conflict is the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.

He added, “The solution is the establishment of a Palestinian state, and all pseudo-solutions are genocide.”

With American support, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza since October 8, 2023, resulting in 67,682 deaths and 170,033 injuries, most of them children and women, along with a famine that claimed the lives of 463 Palestinians, including 157 children.

On Thursday morning, December 14, 2023, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas reached an agreement on the first phase of his ceasefire and prisoner exchange plan, following indirect negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh with the participation of Turkey, Egypt, and Qatar under U.S. supervision.

The first phase of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel came into effect at 12:00 noon Jerusalem time (09:00 GMT) on Friday, December 15, 2023, after the Israeli government approved the agreement early that morning.