Tunisian legislator rips Israeli flag to protest formal ties
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A Tunisian legislator has ripped up an Israeli flag during a parliament session to push his demands for a law criminalizing relations with Israel.
A left-wing opposition coalition proposed a bill making it a crime to "normalize" relations with Israel, but the debate has been indefinitely delayed because parliament officials did not see at as a priority. Tunisia's president has played down the proposed law.
Opposition lawmaker Ammar Amroussia tore the flag Tuesday to protest the delay, in images shown on national television.
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Moderate Islamist party Ennahdha, part of the governing coalition, warned such a law could hurt Tunisia's relations with western nations and international organizations.
Tunisia, like most Arab countries, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. Tunisia was long seen as a model of tolerance in the region but has faced growing Islamic extremism.