Although sadness hangs over the “Island of Dreams” after the accident that killed 5 people, citizens and visitors to the city, Jews and Muslims, went to the alleys of Djerba to confirm that efforts to distort the image of the city and the country will not succeed.
“We will always love Tunisia no matter what,” Peres Trabelsi, head of the Ghriba organizing committee, told Sky News Arabia.
Peres spoke about the day of the accident saying, “The atmosphere on the last day of the Ghriba visit was excellent until eight o’clock on Tuesday evening when we witnessed wonderful celebrations during the days of the visit. and that we encountered crowds of visitors who had not met in Djerba for years.”
He added: “On Tuesday evening, a number of them insisted on going around the island, and at the end of their tour on their way back to the Ghriba temple around eight o’clock, they heard gunshots. I was in my office when visitors rushed to inform me that they had heard gunshots near the entrance to the temple, then we received different accounts of an assault and a shootout , then someone came to reassure us about securing the place, then they took us to hotels after completing the security operation.
He continued, “It is customary for a number of visitors to remain inside the Ghriba Temple even after the celebrations have ended for the last time. At the time of the accident, there were around 500 visitors left and they lived in a state of panic, similar to what happened in 1985 and 2002. It may take us a few years to regain the trust of visitors to the city of coexistence.
“Events that do not concern us”
In the same context, the civil society activist in Djerba said that I am an interviewer for “Sky News Arabia”: “These events do not affect us. Here we live side by side all our lives, Muslims and Jews, and we welcome everyone with open arms in the name of coexistence and peace But I cannot hide that grief has taken hold of the island of Djerba because of what has happened.
And she continued: “On the day of the accident, I was not present, although I visit abroad daily, but I learned from people that they celebrated on a staircase until ‘they hear the sound of gunshots, what they first thought were fireworks, then made sure there were bullets left, and unfortunately some of the visitors were still on the bus and nearby cars.” The police, a number of them were injured, and two people were killed.
She said she had lived in Djerba for many years, specifically in the Houmt al-Souk neighborhood where Muslims live, not in the Jewish quarter, noting that her relations with her Muslim neighbors are “very good and all his friends are among them.”
The activist said: “The treacherous operation was not planned, especially since the atmosphere was very safe, the organization was tight and the security was abundant”, noting that “the rapid intervention of the forces security officers who sacrificed their lives and the position of the Ministry of the Interior, which unequivocally conveyed the truth about what happened, reassured many visitors to Djerba.”
“It’s our country and we won’t abandon it”
As for civil society activist Siham Bin Ali, she confirmed: “We heard the first shots around eight o’clock, and the sounds came from the right of the temple, where the school and the space are located. outer space, where visitors used to gather and sing, then we saw the intervention of the police and the armed forces, and we heard intense gunfire from the side.” In the meantime, all the visitors were gathered inside the temple and the intensity of the gunfire began to diminish. It was time for all the visitors to be evacuated in secure buses.
Siham adds: “What stuck in my mind was what the former Tunisian Minister of Tourism, Rony Trabelsi, said in front of everyone on the bus. Tunisia is our country and we will not abandon it.
She added that she regretted what happened, especially since she had lost her Tunisian Jewish friend, the son of Djerba Elephant Haddad, who died in the attack.
“hard day”
As for Jalal Al-Hanshiri, director of Al-Nazl University in the southeast, he told “Sky News Arabia”: “Unfortunately, we have lost our children, but these crimes are happening all over the world, and we thank God that Tunisian security the treatment was effective, and after a difficult day, normal life returned to Djerba.”
He added: “Yesterday (Tuesday) I was near the scene of the accident among a group of Tunisians outside the temple, and the events took place near the parking lot, where the armed security guard l confronted and shot him down. We lived through nearly two hours of confusion, fear and terror, and despite that, Djerba will stand in solidarity with its people.” Its doors are open to tourists and visitors, despite attempts to damage the image of Tunisia.
It should be noted that the Ministry of Interior in Tunisia had announced that a security guard killed his colleague and killed his weapon, then deliberately opened fire at random in an attempt to reach the vicinity of the Ghriba temple. , and the security forces confronted him and prevented him from reaching the temple and shot him dead, and the incident resulted in the death of 3 men, the security and injuring 5 others, and killing two temple visitors and wounding 4 others.
Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.
