Marzouki: Pretending guardianship over Palestinians 'unacceptable rudeness'

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has reportedly said that “pretending guardianship over the Palestinians” is an “unacceptable rudeness”.

Speaking during a conference on the political and legal tracks for the Palestinian cause, Marzouki ridiculed this kind of extension of guardianship over the Palestinians, noting that his country supports the Palestinians and unity among all Palestinian factions.

“Tunis does not accept divisions among the brothers,” he said. “Tunis seeks to consolidate the relationship among the Palestinian brothers and hopes to see all of them united.”

Several prominent international figures attended the conference, including American, British, French and Palestinians officials.

While Marzouki recognised that his country does not have petrol or weapons in order to offer this kind of material aid to the Palestinians, his government is highly interested in the Palestinian cause and holding this conference is one example of that.

He reiterated that the Tunisian people also love Palestine based on their ethnicity, religion and support for justice, adding that he personally owes the Palestinians a debt because he learnt the meaning of revolution and glory from them.

The Tunisian president, who previously was a human rights campaigner, said that he stands on the same side of the Palestinians, who live under the oppression of the Israeli occupation.

He added that this kind of oppression was also prevalent under the Europeans, when they occupied and colonised the Arab countries.

Regarding the diversity at home in Tunis, Marzouki said that all citizens have the same rights indiscriminately, including Jews. He stressed that the Jews in Tunis are not racists, pointing out that he had recently visited them in one of their local synagogues.

He said that Tunisian Jews condemn the racism of Israeli Jews, stressing that they are calling for the Israeli Jews to refrain from killing the Palestinians, who want peace, not submission.