Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood and the Exploitation of the Palestinian Cause: A Fake Window for a Political Comeback
After losing most of its popularity, Tunisia’s Muslim Brotherhood is now attempting to exploit the Palestinian cause to win back public sympathy and regain political relevance.
In what is seen as a desperate publicity stunt, the Brotherhood tried to ride the wave of the so-called “Caravan of Resilience,” which carried the slogan “Breaking the Siege on Gaza.” Some of the group’s key leaders took part in the initiative to try and reinsert themselves into the political scene.
Now, the group is calling on the public to welcome the caravan’s return—despite its failure to achieve its declared goal—in a bid to rebuild momentum and restore its lost popularity.
The Brotherhood’s opportunism is also evident in how it links the issue of imprisoned Ennahda figures to every event it organizes under the banner of “support for Palestine.”
Tunisian political observers see this as a calculated move by the Brotherhood to rebuild its grassroots support by fueling the narrative around the “Caravan of Resilience.”
Tunisian MP Fatma Mseddi echoed these concerns in a Facebook post, stating: “Now that it’s clear this so-called ‘Caravan of Resilience’ was a cover for a malicious Brotherhood plot, you want to welcome them as heroes? Where is the government?”
She warned that the caravan was not a purely humanitarian initiative in solidarity with Gaza, but rather a ploy to whitewash the image of the Brotherhood and rebrand it politically after its downfall in several Arab countries.
Mseddi emphasized that the caravan was led by figures affiliated with the Brotherhood and aimed to carve out a “new political outlet” by capitalizing on the Palestinian tragedy, especially after the organization lost legitimacy in major countries like Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia.
Similarly, Tunisian activist and political analyst Omar El Yafrani said that “the Ennahda movement is trying to use the Palestinian issue to appeal to Tunisians who are emotionally supportive of the Palestinian people, in an attempt to appear aligned with their cause.”
He added that the Brotherhood “has lost all popular and international backing and is facing internal divisions, pushing its leaders to exploit public enthusiasm for Palestine by joining the caravan in hopes of regaining public support.”
According to El Yafrani, Ennahda is no longer able to mobilize the streets against President Kaïs Saïed, and some of its leaders are now seeking alternative methods to gain public sympathy.
The Maghreb-based “Caravan of Resilience” re-entered Tunisian territory on Thursday, after departing on June 9 with more than 1,700 participants, including activists, doctors, human rights defenders, and a delegation from Algeria.
The caravan aimed to reach the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, but halted in Sirte, Libya, and then returned. Among its participants were notable Brotherhood-linked figures such as Abdel Latif Mekki.
