21-year-old Tunisian student dies after falling from a campus building while attempting to hoist a PLO flag at the Higher School of Science and Design Technology in Manouba Governorate. Authorities are investigating.
A student at a Tunisian university died in a fall while reportedly trying to display a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flag atop a building on his campus.
The incident occurred at the Higher School of Science and Design Technology (ESSTeDesign), located in the Den Den area of Manouba Governorate, reported JPost, which cited local media reports.
The student, 21-year-old Faris Khaled, attempted to mount a three-story structure within the school’s grounds to affix the flag. During the attempt, he lost his footing and fell.
The incident is believed to have taken place around 8:00 p.m. local time. According to the reports, the student’s body was discovered at approximately 7:00 a.m. the following morning, after a school guard notified local authorities.
The Manouba Court of First Instance confirmed that law enforcement officers from Den Den responded to the scene, and a representative of the Public Prosecution has since initiated a formal inquiry into the matter.
In an official statement, ESSTeDesign expressed deep sorrow over the student’s death, saying he had “died following a painful accident while trying to hang the flag of Palestine.”
Tunisia, like most Arab countries, does not have diplomatic relations with Israel. After several Arab countries normalized ties with Israel in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords, Tunisia reiterated it is not interested in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel and its position will not be affected by any international changes.
In 2014, Tunisia’s tourism minister faced criticism from parliamentarians over a trip to Israel she took in 2006 to take part in a UN training program for Palestinian Arab youths.
In 2018, a Tunisian legislator ripped up an Israeli flag during a parliament session to push his demands for a law criminalizing relations with Israel. Tunisian President Kais Saied in early 2020 described then-US President Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal for Israel and the Palestinian Authority as the “injustice of the century”.
In August of 2023, Saied said that the word “normalization” does not exist for him when it comes to Israel.
