Tunisian Jews slam Israeli invite

Ennahda expressed surprise at the demands of some Tunisian Jews to leave the country to what they called "another place in the world", referring to Israel, on Saturday. The movement said in its statement “These statements are not reasonable”, believing that their timing was “suspicious”. It confirmed: “Jews in Tunisia are considered citizens with full rights and duties,” stressing that “future Tunisia will remain a democratic country, which respect and care for its children regardless of their religion." Ennahda intended to not mention Israel in its statement, in an explicit indication of not acknowledging any future forms of normalisation with the country. Israeli deputy PM Silvan Shalom had invited, last Wednesday, Jews living in Tunisia to “live in Israel,” at the Jerusalem ceremony in honour of Tunisian Jew victims of the Holocaust. Shalom said: “I call on Jews living in Tunisia to come and live in Israel as soon as possible.” The call did little to resonate among Jews in Tunisia, as it was rejected by the chairman of the Jewish community and Head of El Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, Peres Trabelsi who said: “The invitation is not new, it is repeated annually for political and sometimes electoral purposes,” stressing “Tunisia is our country and we do not need to leave it.” He also said the conditions of the Tunisians Jewish community was very good. Jacob Lellouche, the only Jewish candidate in the Constituent Assembly elections (held onOctober 23), said in a press statement that the Jewish minority contributed with high spirits to Tunisian revolution. He stressed that Tunisia provided a decent life for them, and that he never felt like a stranger in his home, adding that it was no use to bring up the issue of the immigration of  Tunisian Jews again. He added in his statement that "all should remember that the Tunisian revolution was not carried out by any particular political party, but was a revolution of the people without exceptions, including the Jews, who do not consider their home to be anywhere but Tunisia".