Abdelaziz Rehabi: “Benjamin Stora’s Report Ignored The Algerians’ Demands”

The diplomat and former minister, Abdelaziz Rahabi, criticized the report of the French historian Benjamin Stora on colonialism and the liberation revolution, saying that it did not respond to the main demand of the Algerians.

Rahabi said in a tweet that Benjamin Stora’s report did not take into account the main historical demand of Algerians, which is France’s recognition of its colonial crimes in Algeria.

Abdelaziz Rahabi explained that the matter is not related to establishing a common memory because the two countries inherited contradictory memories on the issue of colonialism.

“Each party must bear responsibility for its past, and it is up to the two countries to create the conditions for peaceful relations that look to the future”, he added.

Previously, Benjamin Stora, the French historian and author of the Memory Report, stated that the demand for an apology for the crimes of French colonialism in Algeria is a “peg” exploited by parties in the two countries, to escape from solving real memory issues.

“Why do they sanctify the word of apology?” Stora said in an interview with Al-Arabiya TV channel, about the demand for an apology… “If we want an apology, why not… I do not care about that… In France, it is a word among other words”.

“For me, the issue is not here. I have been working on this file for 40 years, and I noticed that several files left a tragedy in the two countries”, Stora explained.

Last Wednesday, the French historian Benjamin Stora delivered his memory report to the French President Emmanuel Macron, as it contained 22 proposals to restore the relationship between France and Algeria on pending issues.

The French presidency renewed its refusal to apologize for its colonial crimes in Algeria, a decision that followed the report of the historian Benjamin Stora.