Tunisians Protest Against Israel After Appointment Of Jewish Tourism Minister

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators converged on Tunisia’s capital to protest against Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians, after Rene Trabelsi was named the country’s third-ever Jewish minister. Individuals reportedly carried placards calling for the creation of a Palestinian state and reading, “Palestine is Arab, no choice but rifles” and “Tunisia is free, Zionists out.” The crowd included groups that are lobbying for the adoption of parliamentary legislation to criminalize the establishment of official relations with Israel. Tunisia’s government has tread cautiously over the proposed law, believing its passage could harm ties with Western nations. Trabelsi, who organizes an annual pilgrimage to Tunisia’s famous Ghriba synagogue, became the nation’s first Jewish minister in decades when he assumed his post at the Tourism Ministry in November. He was raised on the island of Djerba, where some 1,000 Jews currently reside.