Summary:

On 13 and 14 January 2024, the Tunisian Forum in Support of the Resistance held a pro-Palestinian gathering in downtown Tunis which was attended by senior Tunisian officials as well as senior representatives of Palestinian organizations. 

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The gathering hosted officials from: 

• Hamas, including Bassem Na’im, Zami Abu Zuhri and Yusuf Hamdan 
• Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), including Ihsan Ataya 
• Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, including Layla Khaled 
• Hizballah, including Hussein Gharibis 

During the event, PIJ’s Ihsan Ataya called for increased and broadened support to Palestinians fighting against Israel in Gaza. Hamas’s Sami Abu Zuhri indicated that resisting Israel necessitated actively countering countries supporting Israel, including the United States. 

Many of the groups involved in the forum meeting are designated by the United States and the European Union as terrorist organizations. The Arab League, of which Tunisia is a member, has designated Hizballah as a terrorist organization. 

The meeting comes as President Kais Saied has faced criticism from pro-Palestinian groups and other political opponents for refusing to support legal actions against Israel in the International Criminal Court (ICJ) as part of a case being brought by South Africa. A Tunisian lawyer who planned to help represent the South African case at the ICJ also received a travel ban from the Tunisian government, preventing him from traveling to attend preparatory meetings.

Outlook: 

The pro-Palestinian forum held in Tunis points to the continued strong support among certain groups of Tunisians for the Palestinian cause. As frustration over the war in Gaza continues to linger, the risk remains for frustrated or radicalized individuals to take violent actions against individuals or facilities affiliated with Western countries.  

As President Saied seeks to balance potential diplomatic obligations to Gulf partners that are looking ahead to normalization once the war in Gaza ends, actions viewed as unsupportive of the Palestinian cause could lead to unrest or some violent actions. 

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