France yesterday condemned “with the greatest firmness” an attack near the Griba synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba that killed four people, including a Frenchman, calling it a “heinous” act. Washington, in turn, condemned the assault and praised the “quick action of the Tunisian security forces”.
Anne-Clair Legendre, spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, said the attack was “painfully reminiscent of the suicide bombing that killed 21 people in the same synagogue in 2002.”
“Together with Tunisia, we continue to fight against anti-Semitism and all forms of intolerance,” said LeGandre.
For its part, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Twitter: “The United States condemns the attack, which took place in Tunisia and coincides with the annual Jewish pilgrimage season that draws worshipers from around the world to the Mushroom Synagogue.”
He added: “We express our condolences to the Tunisian people and appreciate the swift action of the Tunisian security forces.”
Tuesday’s attack near a Jewish synagogue on the island of Djerba killed two security personnel and two pilgrims, one Tunisian and the other French. The attack took place during the annual pilgrimage to the Mushroom synagogue on the 33rd day of the Jewish holiday of Pesach.
Organizers said more than 5,000 Jews, most of them from abroad, are participating in the Mushroom pilgrimage, which resumed last year after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
This synagogue is the oldest in Africa and was targeted in a 2002 suicide car bombing that killed 21 people.
The Tunisian authorities did not name a motive for the attack, but the militants had previously attacked the annual Jewish pilgrimage season in Djerba and carried out other attacks in Tunisia.
Security was introduced for Jewish visitors after an al-Qaeda terrorist attacked the synagogue in 2002 with a truck bomb, killing 21 Western tourists.
Muslim-majority Tunisia has one of the largest Jewish communities in North Africa. Jews have lived in Tunisia since the time of the Romans, but now there are fewer than 1,800 of them.
