Tunisia's Saied condemns attack on Djerba Jews, historic synagogue

Tunisian leader Kais Saied on Wednesday condemned the attack near the historic Djerba synagogue on Tuesday in which two Jewish cousins were killed.

In a statement reported in Arabic media, including Al-Ain media in the Gulf and Middle East Online, Saied put out a message of reassurance to Tunisians following the attack. Five people were killed in the attack, three of whom were security personnel.  

Saied was chairing a meeting of the National Security Council, reports said. "I want to reassure the Tunisian people, and indeed the whole world, that Tunisia will remain safe no matter how these criminals try to destabilize it." 

"They will not be able to do that. There is a state and institutions, and the Tunisian people know very well the schemes of these criminals," he said, adding, "our state is strong with its institutions, its armed military and security forces, and its alert people. No doubt will creep into anyone, neither at home nor abroad," denouncing what he described as "the cowardly criminal operation," according to a video recorded by the Tunisian presidency on its official Facebook account.

He said the purpose of the attack, in which a man who was also working in security killed his colleagues and killed two Jewish visitors, was to sow seeds of discord and harm the tourist season in Tunisia. 

The former tourism minister, Rene Trabelsi, who is from Djerba, was at the synagogue when the attack took place. In 2019 Trabelsi made a point of encouraging tourism and visits to Djerba’s synagogue for the annual Lag Ba'Omer festivities. At the time, it was noted that Tunisia had suffered a slump in tourism after a 2015 terror attack in Tunis. He gave interviews in the wake of the attack.  

Tunisian president stresses North African country is safe

According to Al-Ain media in the UAE, the president of Tunisia has said that the country is safe “no matter how those criminals try to destabilize it.” He has said he is working to maintain security and stability.” He went on to say that "such criminal operations have been known to many countries, and many countries and societies in which victims have fallen are still suffering from it." According to Al-Ain media, Saied was referring to the Muslim Brotherhood in his comments regarding the attempts by the attacker to “sow the seeds of sedition.” Tunisia has recently cracked down on the leadership of the Ennahda party, which has roots in the Muslim Brotherhood.  

"They will not be able to do that," the Tunisian leader said, referring to attempts to create divisions in society. "There is a state and institutions, and the Tunisian people know very well the schemes of these criminals. They expose themselves every day…Our state is strong with its institutions, its security and military forces, and its conscious and alert people... and whoever works to cast doubt on the state's capabilities is delusional." 

The Djerba synagogue was previously targeted in a large attack in 2002 which killed 20 people, mostly tourists. Al Qaeda was blamed for that attack.  

Another report at the Tuniscope website provided a longer statement from Saied in which he said: “I extend my deepest condolences to the families of all those who fell in this cowardly operation, and I wish recovery for all the wounded ... A military plane was directed to transfer them to the military hospital in Tunis, both security and civilians.” Other Arabic media, such as Lebanon24, have said Tunisia has worked quickly to return security to the area and seek out the motives of the perpetrator. LeMaghreb's website also contained the same statement but also included a sentence from the president about how Tunisia is a land of tolerance and coexistence. It was not clear why different websites had slightly different versions of the same statement.  

Tunisia is at an important crossroads today. It is seeking financial support and investment and it is struggling with political change as well. Critics see Saied as increasingly authoritarian and others are concerned about treatment of migrants in the country. Tunisia was the center of the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2011. Its transition to democracy that year was seen as an important development.