According to Kais Saied, the storm is evidence of Zionist “attack on the thought and mind” because of its name, Daniel, despite the prophet holding significance in Islam, too.

By World Israel News Staff

In a bizarre antisemitic outburst, Tunisian President Kais Saied on Tuesday appeared to blame Israel for the recent storm that devastated Derna, Libya, a conclusion he arrived at because of the “Zionist influence” in naming the storm “Daniel.”

Historically, storm names are chosen through established conventions which often involve using sequential letters of the alphabet or assigning both feminine and masculine names.

Nevertheless, Saied asserted that the naming of the storm bore testament to Zionism’s burgeoning influence. The storm, he said, is evidence of Zionist “attack on the thought and mind.”

A quarter of the city of Derna has been wiped out in the storm and subsequent flooding, killing several thousands. At least 9,000 more people are still reported missing.

https://twitter.com/MonicaLMarks/status/1703974861113029044

Critics pointed out the multi-faceted significance of the name “Daniel,” which not only holds importance in Jewish tradition as a Hebrew prophet, but also finds a place in Islamic tradition, with associated pilgrimage sites in Iraq and Iran.

Saied’s statements have aggravated existing concerns about the escalating authoritarian regime in Tunisia, a country already spotlighted in recent migration disputes involving European and North African nations.

A deadly attack in a synagogue in the Tunisian city of Djerba in May, in which two Jewish worshipers and three Tunisian national security guards were shot to death, prompted more antisemitic vitriol from Saied, who claimed that the attack was not antisemitic in nature and suggested that people who believe the murders were motivated by Jew-hatred are part of a “conspiracy” to tarnish Tunisia’s international image.

Saied then went on to charge that antisemitism does not exist in Tunisia – a country which does not acknowledge Israel’s existence – saying that a focus on Jew-hatred is a smokescreen for covering up alleged human rights violations against Palestinians in Gaza.

Deborah Lipstadt, the United States’ antisemitism envoy, called his remarks “distressing.”

“We’re very distressed by President Saied’s pushing back – as if we had said Tunisia was antisemitic, which we did not say,” Lipstadt said. “[We] said the attack was an act of antisemitism. And then his pivoting to Gaza…that was antisemitic.”

Days after the five were murdered, Saied compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany. “While Tunisians protected Jews during the Holocaust, today elderly, women and children are being bombed in Gaza,” he said.

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“Since the attack, the Jewish community of Djerba has not been visited or contacted by any members of the government,” said Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt of the Conference of European Rabbis.

By JNS

Two Jewish cousins were among those murdered on May 9 near a Tunisian synagogue. Four days later, Tunisian President Kais Saied compared the Jewish state to Nazi Germany.

“While Tunisians protected Jews during the Holocaust, today elderly, women and children are being bombed in Gaza,” he said.

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, called on European governments to condemn Saied’s statement, which he said implies “that the Jews of Tunisia are responsible for the bombing of Gaza.”

“Through such wanton remarks, the president continues to incite further hatred and even attacks against the country’s Jewish community, heaven forbid,” Goldschmidt said. “Since the attack, the Jewish community of Djerba has not been visited or contacted by any members of the government. The Tunisian president together with the relevant authorities should instead be offering support to the Jewish community and working to ensure its safety.”

Aviel Haddad, 30, a dual Israeli-Tunisian, was killed on May 9 alongside his cousin Benjamin Haddad, a 42-year-old French citizen. Three security personnel were also killed when a Tunisian National Guard member opened fire on people near Ghriba Synagogue on May 9 as Lag B’Omer celebrations were underway. A dozen others were injured.

Haddad was buried in Israel on May 12.

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Shooting of Jewish pilgrims at ancient synagogue not related to Jew-hatred, world should focus on the Palestinian national struggle instead, says Tunisia’s president.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Tunisian President Kais Saied claimed that a deadly attack targeting Jewish worshippers at a historic synagogue last week was not antisemitic in nature and suggested that people who believe the murders were motivated by Jew-hatred are part of a “conspiracy” to tarnish Tunisia’s international image.

Last week, two Jewish cousins – one from France and one from Israel – and three Tunisian national security guards were shot to death by an attacker, who opened fire on Jewish pilgrims attending an annual celebration at the ancient Ghriba synagogue in Djerba.

The perpetrator, who government ministers admitted had planned the attack in advance, laid in wait near the synagogue with his weapon for several minutes before shooting. He was shot by security forces less than five minutes after the attack began.

Saied insisted that the attack was in no way antisemitic. In a statement to local media quoted by The Jerusalem Post, he called people who acknowledged the attack was antisemitic as “the forgers of history bent on distorting history, falsifying facts and spreading untruths” and said they were attempting to “ spread conspiracies against the state and endanger social peace.”

Shortly after charging that antisemitism does not exist in Tunisia – a country which does not acknowledge Israel’s existence – Saied said that a focus on Jew-hatred is a smokescreen for covering up alleged human rights violations against Palestinians.

Western countries expressing concern over antisemitism in Tunisia “do not hesitate to make the false accusations of antisemitism while they turn a deaf ear when it comes to dealing with the plight of the Palestinians who are dying every day,” Saied charged.

“The Palestinian people will succeed against all odds to triumph and recover their despoiled land,” he added.

Saied concluded by explaining that antisemitism does not exist in the modern age.

“It is strange that in the 21st century some people still talk about antisemitism,” he said, saying that people who acknowledge Jew-hatred as a problem are simply wielding the concern as a political weapon.

“They want to preserve the seeds of division and benefit from this discourse,” he added.

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