Tunisians will work on internal issues but not at the expense of support for the Palestine cause

The head of the Executive Office of Al-Nahda Party, which won the election in Tunisia, has said that his people will focus on internal issues but not at the expense of support for the Palestinian cause.

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Aly Al-Areed, who has been nominated as Minister of the Interior in the new government, stressed that the political steps taken by the people of Tunisia to restore their political institutions are on the right track. He said that the incoming government will face all the political challenges with confidence.

Speaking to Quds Press, Mr Al-Areed said that the current controversy about the political transition in Tunisia, both inside and outside the Constituent Assembly, are at the heart of what being a democracy is all about. “What has happened to-date has been expected,” he said, “and we are on the right democratic path. We will continue by forming a government and starting to address all of the issues and challenges raised regarding security, development and infrastructure.”

At the same time, Mr Al-Areed confirmed that Tunisia’s preoccupation with internal issues will not be at the expense of the Palestinian cause. “I congratulate the leadership of Hamas and all the Palestinian people on the movement’s 24th anniversary,” he added. “Just as the Tunisian people have been insisting on having their freedom, I hope that the Palestinians continue their struggle with patience and stability, until they unify their ranks and restore all of their rights.”

As far as the people of Tunisia are concerned, he continued, “the Palestinian issue does not belong to Palestinians alone; but it is an Islamic and Arab issue, and Tunisians have had a significant role in supporting the Palestinian cause. It is one of the issues that unite us. We will support our brothers in every way to reclaim their land and, God Willing, the Arab revolutions will be a source of support to the Palestinian resistance against the occupation.”