Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the former president of Tunisia, had a nuanced view of Israel and its role in the region, maintaining strong ties to the Palestinian cause while secretly engaging in talks with Israel and establishing low-level diplomatic relations. Tunisia, unlike other countries in the region, has yet to fall under the sway of an Islamist extremist government and is regarded as a moderate Arab country. However, Tunisia's population overwhelmingly opposed normalization with Israel, and Ben Ali's ability to pursue diplomatic ties was constrained by domestic and regional opposition. Talks between Israel and Tunisia progressed in the 1990s, but the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000 and the subsequent unrest in Tunisia led to the closure of interest offices and the end of official diplomatic relations.