Palestinians "gave Tunisia first lessons about revolution"

The President of Tunisia has affirmed that the Arab nation and Tunisians are standing by the Palestinian issue now more than at any other time in the past. President Moncef Marzouki said that this is especially so because the revolution saved the people from rulers who traded openly with the people responsible for the conflict. He added that the Palestinian people “were the first to give the Tunisians lessons about revolution”.

---

Speaking at the opening ceremony of a conference sponsored by Tunisia in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Mr Marzouki said, “In this conference, we are sending a message to Israel that peace will never result from surrender, which is the message that Israel used to send to the world in general and the Arabs in particular.” If you want to be promised peace, he added, then you have to make peace and not promise war.

The Tunisian President called on the world to mobilise in order to find a resolution to the Palestinian issue, which could lead to never-ending war if a just solution is not found. Addressing the prisoners directly, Marzouki said: “We are here today to send two messages: the first is to all prisoners in Israel’s jails, some of whom have been there for more than thirty years; we did not forget and will never ever forget you. The second message is to the families of the prisoners; we are with you and we will stay with you.”

The President stressed that Tunisia – the state and the people – “is open to our Palestinian brothers and sisters more than ever”, pointing out that Palestine is in the hearts of all Tunisians.