Israel: Netanyahu's former adviser talks of return of Arab Spring to Tunisia

A former advisor in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sparked widespread controversy on Twitter after he spoke about the return of the Arab Spring to Tunisia, Al-Quds Al-Arabi has reported.

“Massive protests in Tunisia, the return of the Arab Spring,” wrote Edy Cohen. “After Tunisia, the turn of Egypt and Jordan will come.”

In response, dozens of activists said that they are “eager” to see what they called the Israeli Spring. “Do not try to divert attention from what is happening to you in occupied Palestine,” wrote one. “Now spring is pure Hebrew, and the settlers have no choice but to leave Palestine.”

Cohen later posted another tweet in which he said that “Tunisia is in an unpredictable situation due to [President] Kais Saied’s racist statements against Africans.”

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A number of activists called on Cohen to touch on the affairs of the occupying state and leave Tunisia to its people. They emphasised that Tunisia has never been a racist state, and that it cannot be held accountable for “a wrong phrase” mentioned in a presidential statement.

Others talked about the detention by the Israeli occupation authorities of African refugees in a number of prisons, as well as its racist policy towards the Palestinians. Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Israel’s own B’Tselem accuse the occupation state of instituting a system of apartheid against the Palestinians. Apartheid is akin to a crime against humanity.

Tunisia witnessed widespread protests by the opposition and the Tunisian General Labour Union on Saturday and Sunday to denounce the arrest campaign that has targeted a number of opposition figures. The campaign coincided with the speech by President Kais Saied that caused a diplomatic crisis with several African countries.

Tunisia’s president Kais Saied is bleeding the country – Cartoon [Sabaaneh/Middle East Monitor]