TUNIS: The bodies of 19 people were recovered Tuesday off the coast of Tunisia, one of the primary points of departure for those seeking to traverse the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
The Tunisian coast guard said in a statement that it had recovered the bodies near the port cities of Mahdia and Sfax, the country’s second largest city where migrants have in recent weeks clashed with law enforcement.
Despite risks, migrants continue to attempt the treacherous voyage from North Africa to Europe, traveling in boats from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya to Italy, Greece, Malta and Spain’s Canary Islands.
More than 49,000 people have come to Europe by sea this year, including more than 7,000 from Tunisia to Italy. Many more have attempted the journey, including thousands who have been intercepted by North African authorities and an estimated 473 believed to be dead or missing, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration.
Politicians on both sides of the Mediterranean have largely focused their migration policies on combating human trafficking and dismantling smuggling networks.
Tunisian authorities said on Tuesday that they had arrested five smugglers. Human trafficking charges typically carry lengthy sentences of up to 20 years.
Tunisia recovers the bodies of 19 migrants who attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe
https://arab.news/ncamq
Tunisia recovers the bodies of 19 migrants who attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Europe
- More than 49,000 people have come to Europe by sea this year
- Human trafficking charges typically carry lengthy sentences of up to 20 years
More than 80 countries condemn new Israeli rules in West Bank, invoke the ‘New York Declaration’
- Surrounded by nations’ representatives, Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour reads statement at UN HQ denouncing the measures as ‘contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law’
- Critics say the steps — including expansion of Israeli settlements, legalization of outposts, direct land purchases by settlers, removal of oversight — amount to de facto annexation
NEW YORK CITY: More than 80 countries and several international organizations on Tuesday condemned what they described as unilateral decisions and measures taken by Israeli authorities with the aim of expanding their “unlawful” presence in the occupied West Bank.
Surrounded by more than 80 representatives of the nations and groups, Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, read a joint statement in which they said: “Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.”
Israel this month approved significant new measures that tighten its control of the occupied West Bank, focusing in particular on accelerating the process of registering land in a part of the territory known as Area C as “state property.”
The new steps, which critics say amount to de facto annexation, include the legalization of outposts, expansion of Israeli settlements, authorization for direct land purchases by settlers, and the removal of oversight on such transactions.
In their statement, the countries and organizations stressed their “strong opposition to any form of annexation.”
They continued: “We reiterate our rejection of all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem.
“Such measures violate international law, undermine the ongoing efforts for peace and stability in the region, run counter to the comprehensive plan, and jeopardize the prospect of reaching a peace agreement ending the conflict.”
They reaffirmed their determination “to take concrete measures in accordance with international law, and in line with the relevant UN resolutions and the July 19 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, to help realize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and to counter the illegal settlement policy in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and policies and threats of forcible displacement.”
This stance is reflected, they said, in the 2025 New York Declaration, a UN-endorsed initiative proposed, following a conference in July 2025, by France and Saudi Arabia with the aim of reviving efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
“We reiterate that a just and lasting peace on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, and the Arab Peace Initiative, ending the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 and implementing the two-state solution — where two democratic states, an independent and sovereign Palestine and Israel, live side by side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders on the basis of the 1967 lines, including with regard to Jerusalem — remains the only path to ensure security and stability in the region,” they added.
