Italian PM to Visit Tunisia Next Week, Discuss Illegal Immigration

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)
TT

Italian PM to Visit Tunisia Next Week, Discuss Illegal Immigration

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (EPA)

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to visit Tunisia next week at the invitation of President Kais Saied.

Political observers believe the visit will address several thorny issues between the two nations, including illegal immigration from the shores of Tunisia towards the Italian coasts.

Tunisian presidency announced that Saied discussed the distinguished bilateral relations and the strategic ties between Tunisia and the European Union over the phone with the Prime Minister.

Observers also expect the visit to address Saied's initiative to hold a high-level conference between all countries affected by the migration issue.

The initiative includes countries in North Africa, the Sahel, the Sahara, and the northern shore of the Mediterranean. It aims to tackle the causes of irregular migration and identify appropriate ways to end the resulting humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar hailed Italy's understanding of the need to support the economic recovery ongoing in his country.

Ammar was speaking Friday night during a ceremony marking Italy's National Day at the residence of Italy's ambassador to Tunis.

The top official also thanked Italy for all its efforts to explain Tunisia's viewpoint to other countries regarding negotiations for a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He described Italy's backing of Tunisia on this point as "intelligent and constructive," saying it is a position that reflects Rome's insistence that the IMF finances the Tunisian economy to avoid collapse.

Last May, Meloni called on the International Monetary Fund during the G7 Summit in Japan to adopt a "pragmatic" approach to disburse financing to Tunisia without preconditions.



Israeli Military Raids Jenin in West Bank, Four Palestinians Reported Killed 

A child walks past a burnt vehicle in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
A child walks past a burnt vehicle in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
TT

Israeli Military Raids Jenin in West Bank, Four Palestinians Reported Killed 

A child walks past a burnt vehicle in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin on January 17, 2025. (AFP)
A child walks past a burnt vehicle in the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Jenin on January 17, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli security forces launched an operation in the volatile West Bank city of Jenin, killing at least four Palestinians, officials said on Tuesday.
Four Palestinians have been killed and around 35 injured in Israel's military offensive on Jenin, said the health ministry.

The military said soldiers, police and intelligence services had begun a counter-terrorism action in the city, giving no further details.

Prior to the Israeli action, Palestinian security forces had been conducting a weeks-long operation to reassert control in the city and the adjacent refugee camp, a major center of armed groups in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian health services said at least four Palestinians were killed and 35 wounded as the Israeli raid began in Jenin, where an Israeli air strike last week in the refugee camp killed at least three Palestinians and wounded scores more.

The move into Jenin, where the Israeli army has carried out multiple raids and large-scale incursions over recent years, comes only days after the start of a ceasefire in Gaza and underscores the threat of more violence in the West Bank.

Late on Monday, bands of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians, smashing cars and burning property, just as newly installed US President Donald Trump announced he was lifting sanctions on violent settlers.

The attack near the village of al-Funduq, in an area where three Israelis were killed in a shooting earlier this month, was the latest in a long sequence of incidents that have accelerated strongly since the start of the war in Gaza.

The military said it had opened an investigation into the incident, which it said involved dozens of Israeli civilians, some in masks.