Link to article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/12/this-is-a-critical-moment-tunisian-protesters-show-support-for-palestine
The people of Tunis have joined those in Amman, Baghdad, and Cairo in publicly supporting the Palestinians. Around 3,000 people marched through the streets of Tunis protesting against Israel. Tunisia has consistently supported Palestine. In fact, it became the home of the Palestinian Liberation Organization once the headquarters was driven out of Lebanon by Israeli forces in 1982. That move caused Tunisia to become an Israeli target, and the organization was attacked again in 1985. Additionally, in 2016, Israeli forces killed Tunisian professor and engineer, Mohamed Zouari, who was alleged a member of Hamas. Thus, tensions between Tunisia and Israel have always existed.
The support that Tunisans have for Palestine is said to be extremely solid, as even critics of the government were marching with protestors. This is significant as the president of Tunisia has not been very popular since he removed the prime minister and shut out parliament as an attempted power grab in 2021. Additionally, his administration is blamed for increased living costs. However, he claimed that Tunisian relationships with Israel will not be normalized and that the country stands proudly with Palestine. The people of the country, despite their distaste for his previous actions, agree with this stance. This unity demonstrates the importance of the issue. Although, however supportive the Tunisians may be, they are unlikely to be heavily involved in the conflict as their geographical distance limits them and they are in poor domestic economic standing.
In class, we have discussed the importance of analyzing historical events in understanding international relations. In this situation, it is important to know of the past relationship between Tunisia and Israel. Had there not been an Israeli attack on Tunisian soil, would the country still support Palestine to the extent which they do? Furthermore, it is important to understand the previous actions of the Tunsian president. For although the people stand with him for Palestine, they do not have unwavering confidence in him. They are still suffering the effects of an economic crisis.