Tunisian leader Kais Saied claimed that a massive storm that devastated Libya’s Derna was somehow linked to Zionism because it was named “Daniel.”
In the conversation posted on social media on Tuesday, he can be heard making a series of comments about the storm and its name. Storms are often given named randomly in line with various methods of naming storms after women and men and using sequential letters of the alphabet.
Nevertheless, Saied saw in the name “Daniel” evidence of “Zionism’s growing influence.”
Today in anti-Semitic madness:Tunisia’s president, Kais Saied, claims that Storm Daniel (which destroyed Derna, Libya) is evidence of Zionist infiltration & a Zionist “attack on the mind & thought” bc it’s named Daniel, after a “Hebrew prophet.” ♀️⬇️pic.twitter.com/whxk57Mis0
— Monica Marks (@MonicaLMarks) September 19, 2023
Derna has been devastated by the storm and floods. The news site noted that bodies are still being pulled from the sea. Thousands are missing and presumed killed. A quarter of the city is believed to be destroyed, the report said.
“Amid this humanitarian crisis, a statement by Tunisian President Kais Saied sparked a wave of criticism that deemed him busy with another topic that was not commensurate with the scale of the disaster,” the Euro News report said. It also noted that the Tunisian leader had excoriated the name of the storm as if the name itself had something to do with how devastating it was.
He claimed, “Zionism has penetrated.” Many social media users have reacted to the comments.
Some of the reactions on social media noted that “Daniel” is not only a name associated with a prophet and Jews, but also that he is known in Islam as well and that there are tombs and pilgrimage sites associated with him in Iraq and Iran.
Others noted that Tunisia has become more authoritarian under Saied and that recent migration issues between Europe and North African states have focused on Tunisia. In addition, there are concerns that comments like this come in the wake of an attack near the synagogue in Djerba. Tunisia has a Jewish community.
Recent antisemitic incidents in Middle East, North Africa
The comments come in the wake of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas also making antisemitic comments. It also comes in the wake of a controversy in Libya regarding a meeting between the Libyan foreign minister and Israel’s foreign minister in Italy.
The Libyan minister fled the country after reports of the meeting and there were protests.
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