There is no Israeli embassy in Tunisia. The Tunisian Republic does not recognize Israel as a state, but rather it is an entity occupying part of the historical lands of Palestine.
The State of Tunisia also stresses the right of the Palestinian people to their land from the river to the sea (from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea).
Normalization is high treason in Tunisia
Normalizing relations with Israel (the occupying entity) is considered high treason in Tunisia, and it is a unified position between the Tunisian state and the people.
In Kais Saied's election campaign in 2019, after he assumed power in Tunisia for the first time, his top priorities were supporting the Palestinian cause and criminalizing everything the occupying entity does.
At every opportunity, Tunisian President Kais Saied stresses that normalizing relations with Israel is considered high treason. He has stated on several occasions that anyone who joins hands with Israel is considered a traitor before the law.
The role of the Tunisian street in maintaining Tunisia's position on normalization
Tunisia is one of the countries that is aware of what is happening in the Middle East and North Africa region, and the whole world. The people are against normalizing relations with Israel and are ready to overthrow any regime that tries to take these steps, even under the table.
Throughout Tunisia's modern history, the position has been one and constant regarding not normalizing relations with the occupying entity.
Although there is freedom of expression in Tunisia and everyone has the right to express their ideas, there is a line that must not be crossed. It is normalizing relations with Israel. All Tunisians agree on this issue and there is no difference.
This approach is followed by the policy of the state, the people, and the public and private media.
External pressures on Tunisia to normalize relations
Some people see Tunisia on the surface as an open country with freedom of expression and openness to global thought, but the people are deeply conservative, as they rise up and take to the streets regarding any issue that concerns Islam and Muslims, especially the Palestinian issue.
Tunisia is under strong pressure from abroad to normalize relations, whether economic or political. This explains why the Tunisian state is reducing its dependence on its European partners and gradually shifting towards the Eastern camp of Russia and China.
Tunisia and Israel's historical enmity
On October 1, 1985, Israel bombed the Hammam al-Shatt area in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia.
The aim of this terrorist operation carried out by the Israeli Air Force was to strike the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Tunis, which is recognized by the United Nations and the Arab League.
These Zionist terrorist operations resulted in hundreds of injuries and 68 deaths on the Palestinian and Tunisian sides.
The purpose of this attack was to target leaders of the Fatah movement and the Palestine Liberation Organization, headed by Yasser Arafat.
The file was referred to the United Nations and the late leader Habib Bourguiba threatened the American ambassador with severing diplomatic relations if the US used its veto against the resolution condemning the Israeli attack on Hammam al-Shatt.
For the first time in history, America has withdrawn its use of the veto in favor of Israel.
Among the most prominent decisions was condemning and rebuking Israel for its childish actions, and Tunisia’s right to receive appropriate compensation for the losses resulting from the terrorist attack for which the occupying entity was responsible.