Tunisia is currently rocked by a political crisis linked to a bill aimed at criminalizing normalization with Israel. While this law was supposed to be adopted smoothly, President Kaïs Saïed surprised everyone by firmly opposing it.
In an unexpected statement to the Assembly, the president stressed that this law could harm Tunisia’s external interests. This turnaround sowed confusion among the deputies, given that Kaïs Saïed has never hidden his fierce opposition to Israel.
However, the president wanted to reiterate his position after this stormy session. He affirmed that Tunisia was engaged in a war of liberation, and not in criminalization. According to him, anyone cooperating with the “Zionist enemy” is considered a traitor. The president insisted that liberation is not achieved through laws, but through victory or martyrdom.
This political crisis marks a turning point for the Tunisian regime, which adopted an ultra-presidential system. Kaïs Saïed was elected in 2019 with the promise of fighting against normalization with Israel, described as a “crime of high treason”. However, even when he had full legislative power, the president never sought to legislate on this issue.
The Tunisian Parliament, mainly composed of Arab nationalist deputies sensitive to the situation in Gaza, tried to speed up the vote on this law without consulting the president. This divergence of opinions between the two institutions portends an unexpected political standoff.
This crisis raises questions about Tunisia’s political stability and highlights divisions within the country. It also shows the importance of geopolitical issues and the influence of the Israeli-Palestinian question in the region.
It remains to be seen what the outcome of this standoff between the president and the Tunisian Parliament will be. In the meantime, this political crisis continues to fuel debates and fuel tensions in Tunisia.