Tunisia at the forefront of global convoy to Gaza

This week, Tunisian activists are set to join the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international effort to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. The mission highlights both broad international support for Palestine, particularly among formerly colonised nations, and Tunisia's historic role at the centre of the pro-Palestine movement, which long predates Europe's recent waves of solidarity. 

The flotilla has already faced serious obstacles. Initially, it was scheduled to leave Tunis on 4 September but adverse weather caused a delay. On Monday, the flotilla's main ship, currently anchored in the port of Sidi Bou Said, was reportedly targeted in a drone attack, causing a fire on board. 

The following night, another drone strike reportedly sparked a fire on a second boat. Tunisian authorities have denied that a drone strike took place. Organisers have said that the flotilla is determined to continue its mission. 

"This time, there will be dozens of ships. We expect a greater possibility of reaching Gaza, given how difficult it will be for the occupation forces to disable and stop all these ships at once", said Wael Naouar, one of the organisers of the Tunisian convoy. 

More than 50 ships carrying hundreds of participants from 44 countries are taking part, marking an unprecedented action. The Tunisian convoy will join the wider flotilla of ships sailing from Barcelona, Sicily and other locations in the Mediterranean. Crews include activists, journalists and doctors.  

Last week, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir presented a plan to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza, seize the boats and detain the activists on board, calling them supporters of terrorism. Several sea and land convoys have attempted to reach Gaza since it was sealed off in 2007. In 2010, Israeli forces attacked the crew of the Mavi Marmara, killing ten activists and injuring dozens more.  

Naouar admits that this expedition carries serious risks. "Today, we must offer whatever sacrifices we can for the Palestinian cause."  

A global coalition

The Sumud Flotilla brings together several activist networks, including the Free Gaza Movement, founded in 2006 after Israel tightened restrictions on Gaza following Hamas's electoral victory, and in which Western voices are particularly prominent.  

Another initiative, the March to Gaza, was an international attempt to reach the Rafah border crossing through Egypt in June. The march was abandoned when hundreds of activists were arrested after arriving in Egypt and subsequently deported.   

Simultaneously, Tunisian activists led a land convoy, the Sumud Convoy, of more than 1000 protestors from across North Africa. The convoy was stopped in Sirte, Libya, by Khalifa Haftar's forces on its way to Rafah. These civic movements stem from public dissatisfaction with political leaders' failure to respond to Israel’s crimes, according to activists.  

This year, there were three other attempts to reach Gaza by sea with singular boats: in May, Conscience was hit by drones in international waters off Maltese shores, while the Madleen and the Handala were stopped by Israeli forces a few miles from the Palestinian shore.  

The current flotilla received around 30,000 applications to join from across the globe, according to Tony Lapiccirella, an Italian activist who boarded Handala. "The idea came up to join forces and combine different skills. The global initiative first drew in activists from North Africa via the March for Gaza; the resonance of this initiative also extended to South America, in countries like Colombia and Mexico, which are usually less represented in flotilla missions."

"Tunisia and Malaysia were also key participants", said Lapiccirella. "In Europe, we still have a Eurocentric perspective, as if what happens in Europe is the whole world. I truly invite people to look at what is happening in the Global South", adds Antonio Mazzeo, a Sicilian author and journalist who took part in the Handala mission. 

Palestine is a "litmus test"

Sumud translates to "steadfastness" from Arabic. It is a concept central to the Palestinian struggle, signifying resistance and preservation of Palestinian land and culture. "It's more than just a word; it's a deeply ingrained cultural practice and a way of life", explained Ramzy Baroud, journalist and editor of The Palestine Chronicle. 

"It encompasses defiance, historical consciousness, and community cohesion", stressed Baroud. "It's the enduring spirit that enables Palestinians to remain on their land, to resist erasure, and to maintain their identity despite continuous pressure."  

"Anyone who digs deeper into the Palestinian cause knows very well that Israel's violence and the complicity of our governments are connected to a whole range of imperialist, colonial, and capitalist dynamics that happen even in our own countries and all around the world", said Lapiccirella.  

The Palestinian cause has never been confined to the Arab world; it has reverberated particularly in formerly colonised nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Each solidarity movement has infused the struggle with its own local histories of resistance, shaped by anti-apartheid activism, indigenous liberation struggles, or campaigns against military dictatorships, resulting in a diverse yet interconnected landscape of support. "It is rooted in a shared history of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist struggle", said Baroud.  

"For many nations in the Global South, the Palestinian experience of dispossession and military occupation mirrors their own pasts. Palestine became a litmus test for a world that respects national sovereignty and self-determination", said Baroud. For example, the kinship between South Africa and Palestine, and the case brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), demonstrates a commitment that transcends geopolitical alignments, according to Baroud. 

Tunisia's long history of support for Palestine

"Tunisia was chosen as a departure point because it has an official position supporting the Palestinian cause, as well as a long-standing popular stance in support of Palestinian rights", said Naouar. 

Support for Palestine runs deep in Tunisia. For several years, Tunis served as the home of the Palestinian Liberation Movement (PLO) after 1982, when the movement was forced to leave Lebanon. This support grew even stronger after Israel bombed the PLO's Tunis headquarters in 1985. 

In Tunisia, like much of the Muslim world, pro-Palestine solidarity is caught in a complex dynamic, notes Baroud. "The plight of Palestinians resonates deeply with ordinary people", he said. "While some governments may have genuine solidarity, many use the Palestinian cause to bolster their own legitimacy." 

Tunisian President Kais Saied has been accused of using the Palestinian cause for his own means. "He has no credible record in supporting the Palestinian cause", writes Tunisian political expert and activist Alwar Al Gharbi. "While his official presidential page continues to post slogans and videos, there is not a single official declaration or publication of any concrete action supporting the Palestinian cause." 

Some of Saied's political decisions have actually harmed the Palestinian cause, argues Al Gharbi, citing a recent crackdown on activists campaigning for a boycott on Israeli companies, and Saied’s refusal to support South Africa's genocide case against Israel. 

"Thanks to his closeness with other North African leaders, he could have easily picked up the phone and facilitated the entry into Egypt of thousands of Tunisian and international activists" (during the March for Gaza), adds Al Gharbi. "But of course, he has no interest in actually playing an active role." 

Saied's position falls into what Baroud calls "a long-standing dichotomy between strong public outrage and often ineffective official responses" in the Arab world. 

"This position helps the regime gain legitimacy and popular support amid a decline in democratic freedoms. It can be seen as a form of populist manoeuvring that uses the deeply popular cause to divert attention from domestic issues and the consolidation of authoritarian power."