Tunisia raises drinking water prices by up to 16 percent due to drought
The highest increase is for those whose consumption exceeds 150 cubic meters and for tourist facilities, for which the price per cubic meter has increased by 16 percent to 2.310 dinars
Updated 02 March 2024
Reuters
TUNIS: Tunisia has raised its drinking water prices by up to 16 percent, the official gazette said on Friday, in response to a drought that has lasted five years.
After years of drought, average rainfall has increased in recent months but government officials said this week that Tunisian dams have only reached 35 percent of their stock capacity.
The North African country last year imposed a quota system for drinking water and a ban on its use in agriculture. Since last summer, it has been cutting off water supplies at night.
The price of water will be unchanged for small consumers.
Those whose consumption exceeds 40 cubic meters face about 12 percent increase to 1.040 Tunisian dinars ($0.33) per cubic meter and consumers of between 70 and 100 cubic meters per quarter will pay 13.7 percent more at 1.490 dinars per cubic meter with immediate effect.
The highest increase is for those whose consumption exceeds 150 cubic meters and for tourist facilities, for which the price per cubic meter has increased by 16 percent to 2.310 dinars.
Tunisia has launched water desalination plants to try to make up for the country’s lack of dams and the impact of climate change.
Michigan’s Arab American community offers muted response to Trump’s Gaza takeover plan
Many are struggling to come to terms with the audacious Trump plan for Gaza, said Imad Hamad of the Dearborn-based American Human Rights Council
A group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump has rebranded as Arab Americans for Peace following Trump’s comments about Gaza
Updated 06 February 2025
AP
DEARBORN, Michigan: Residents of the largest Arab American community in the US had plenty to say during the 2024 presidential campaign about the roiling politics in the Middle East.
But after President Donald Trump’s stunning announcement on Tuesday that he wanted to remove Palestinians from Gaza and impose a US takeover in the region, some leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, were treading far more cautiously.
“People are taking a deep breath. It’s too early to render a judgment. But definitely the past two or three weeks feel unbelievable,” said Imad Hamad, executive director of the Dearborn-based American Human Rights Council.
“Many people expressed that concern, that maybe it was a mistake to vote for President Trump,” Hamad added. “And now this is an eye-opener to take into consideration to the 2026 elections.”
So far, at least, no one has retreated from the blistering criticism of Democrats that some say cost Vice President Kamala Harris the crucial state of Michigan in November. But many are struggling to come to terms with the audacious plan Trump announced Tuesday to turn Gaza into what he described as the “Riviera of the Middle East,” possibly using US troops.
Trump’s top diplomat and his main spokesperson on Wednesday walked back the idea that he wants the permanent relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, after American allies and even Republican lawmakers rebuffed his suggestion that the US take “ownership” of the territory.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said he only sought to move roughly 1.8 million Gazans temporarily to allow for reconstruction. Even that proposal has drawn widespread criticism in the Arab world.
While no mass protests were planned in the Detroit area as of yet following Trump’s remarks, community leaders — many of whom refrained from endorsing Harris’ bid but also did not back Trump — were more forceful in their response.
US Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who represents Dearborn and is the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, called Trump’s comments “fanatical bullsh— ” and said “Palestinians aren’t going anywhere.” Dearborn’s Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said Trump’s comments were “yet another chapter in the ongoing genocide.”
Trump became the first Republican presidential candidate in over two decades to win Dearborn, where Arab Americans make up close to half of the city’s 110,000 residents. His success came after he became the only major presidential candidate to visit the Detroit suburb on Nov. 1, and vowed at a local restaurant to bring “peace in the Middle East.”
Faye Nemer, founder of the Dearborn-based MENA (Middle Eastern North African) American Chamber of Commerce, was among those in the community that welcomed Trump to The Great Commoner on Nov. 1. Nemer said Wednesday that some of Trump’s comments relating to the Middle East have “been extremely, extremely concerning to the community.”
“He’s been in office for two weeks, and in those two weeks, he’s made some very extreme remarks,” she said.
Nemer added that she believes Trump’s comments may be a “negotiating tactic” and urged the president to continue working toward a two-state solution.
“He was very vocal that if that’s what the Palestinians want, that he would be in favor and supportive of those efforts. So, now we were just asking President Trump and his administration to remain committed to those ideals,” Nemer said.
Some have begun to distance themselves from Trump after his joint press conference Tuesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During the event, Trump proposed that the US take “ownership” in redeveloping the area into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Lebanese American Rola Makki, the Muslim vice chair for outreach of the Michigan Republican Party, said in a statement sent to The Associated Press that although she supported Trump in the last election, “I don’t agree with his recent stance on Gaza.”
“I believe the US should take a more hands-off approach to the Middle East, focusing on diplomacy and avoiding further entanglement,” Makki said. “This was the approach President Trump took during his last presidency, and I think it was more effective.”
A group formerly known as Arab Americans for Trump, which played a key role in Trump’s voter outreach to the Arab American community — much of it in Dearborn — has rebranded as Arab Americans for Peace following Trump’s comments Tuesday. In a statement, the group said it takes “issue with the president’s suggestion of taking over Gaza” and criticized Trump for not meeting with “key Arab leaders, including the Palestinian president, to hear their views.”
Yet, some of Trump’s most vocal Arab American supporters on the campaign trail remained silent Wednesday.
Hamtramck Mayor Amer Ghalib and Dearborn Heights Mayor Bill Bazzi — both Democratic mayors of Michigan cities with large Arab and Muslim populations who endorsed Trump and appeared on stage with him — did not respond to calls or text messages seeking comment.
Tunisian president sacks finance minister, names a judge as new minister
Sihem Boughdiri’s dismissal comes as the North African country’s public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice, coffee and cooking gas
Updated 06 February 2025
Reuters
TUNIS: The Tunisian president on Wednesday sacked Finance Minister Sihem Boughdiri and named Michkat Khaldi, a judge, as new finance minister.
Khaldi took the oath before the president at Carthage Palace, the presidency said in statement. Boughdiri has been in office since 2021.
Boughdiri’s dismissal comes as the North African country’s public finances face a severe crisis that has led to shortages of key commodities including sugar, rice, coffee and cooking gas.
Khaldi, a judge has been since last year the head of the Criminal Reconciliation Committee, which was established by the president to try to reach a settlement with businessmen accused of corruption in exchange for returning funds to the state.
In an effort to mobilize resources this year, the government raised taxes on middle- and high-income earners and resorted to borrowing directly from the central bank worth $2.2 billion to pay urgent debts.
Trump’s Gaza ‘takeover’ marks sharp break from US policy
Updated 06 February 2025
AFP
WASHINGTON: By proposing to “take over” Gaza, US President Donald Trump has not only stunned the world but also departed from long-standing US policy in supporting a Palestinian state.
The president, known for provocative statements, spoke Tuesday of permanently displacing Palestinians from the war-devastated Gaza Strip, expressing his desire to transform the Palestinian territory into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
His comments sparked worldwide outcry Wednesday, particularly in the Arab world, as they appeared to challenge Palestinians’ right to self-determination, with critics denouncing it as potential “ethnic cleansing.”
The Republican billionaire, who portrays himself as a pragmatist with a transactional approach to foreign policy, hasn’t ruled out sending troops to the region.
The White House moved quickly Wednesday to temper his remarks. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt clarified that the United States would not “finance” reconstruction in Gaza and had not “committed” to sending troops.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking from Guatemala, defended Trump’s intentions: “It was meant as, I think, a very generous move — the offer to rebuild and to be in charge of the rebuilding.”
He also said that Trump only wants Palestinians to leave Gaza temporarily while the territory is reconstructed.
It remained unclear whether the president floated his proposal as a negotiating tactic or a distraction, as Israel and Hamas prepare to negotiate the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that took effect January 19.
This second phase aims to secure the release of remaining hostages and achieve a definitive end to the war triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
“Trump’s remarks about relocating Palestinians would all but guarantee a broader regional conflict if he seriously pursues the idea,” said Sina Toossi of the Center for International Policy, noting that it “would shatter long-standing US policy on a two-state solution in which a Palestinian state includes Gaza.”
“In the short term, a key question is whether Trump will push (Israeli leader Benjamin) Netanyahu to fully implement the ceasefire deal in Gaza, including its critical second phase, or if he will instead allow Netanyahu and his hawkish cabinet to restart the war,” Toossi added.
The events that unfolded Tuesday during the Israeli prime minister’s Washington visit were remarkable on multiple levels.
Trump’s advisers, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz, initially questioned the feasibility of Gaza reconstruction, noting that the Palestinian territory would be uninhabitable for years.
Trump, who had already caused controversy 10 days earlier with his suggestion to “just clean out” Gaza, claimed Palestinians “would love” to leave the territory, which he described as a “demolition site.”
He later received a beaming Netanyahu at the White House, emphasizing the need to relocate Palestinians before unexpectedly proposing to take “possession” of Palestinian territory to make it a “beautiful place.”
Netanyahu, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, praised Trump as someone who “thinks outside the box.”
In making these statements, Trump, who rarely explicitly addresses the prospect of a Palestinian state, broke with decades of Western foreign policy — supporting a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine coexist.
“It is very hard to know how seriously to take Trump’s comments, though they certainly seem to undercut the idea that his administration supports a two-state solution,” said Brian Finucane, a US foreign policy expert at the International Crisis Group in Washington.
But he added it didn’t seem like Palestinians would voluntarily leave Gaza, nor would countries in the region would agree to such a plan.
French president is first EU head of state to call new Syrian leader
Emmanuel Macron congratulates Ahmad Al-Sharaa on assuming the presidency and invites him to visit France
Al-Sharaa says Syria will play a positive role in efforts to ensure regional stability, thanks France for supporting the Syrian people during 14 years of civil war
Updated 06 February 2025
Arab News
LONDON: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the new leader of the Syrian Arab Republic, and congratulated him on assuming the presidency.
The telephone call was the first from a head of state of an EU nation to the new leadership since Bashar Assad fled to Moscow in December amid the collapse of his family’s 54-year rule.
Macron congratulated Al-Sharaa on “liberating the country … from the Assad regime” and expressed his full support for the transition of power in Damascus, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
Macron also emphasized France’s efforts to ensure Western sanctions on Syria are lifted, and its support for the country’s territorial sovereignty. He invited Al-Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks.
Al-Sharaa, elected president by rebel groups on Jan. 29 for the transitional phase, said Syria would play a positive role in efforts to ensure stability in the region. He thanked France for supporting the Syrian people over the past 14 years of civil war.
The leaders also discussed the security challenges facing Syria, the Assad-era international sanctions that weakened the economy, and the challenges associated with rebuilding the country.
Syria was a French colony from 1919 until 1946. During that time, Alawite and Druze minorities established small states that were eventually incorporated into the Syrian state.
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday issued a strongly worded warning against “any form of ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, while also underscoring the importance of adhering “to the bedrock of international law.”
His comments came after US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a proposed takeover of Gaza under which the entire population of the enclave would be relocated to other countries.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip,” Trump said in a White House press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We’ll own it ... We have an opportunity to do something that could be phenomenal ... the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump added: “ We should go to other countries of interest with humanitarian hearts, and there are many of them that want to do this, and build various domains that will ultimately be occupied by the 1.8 million Palestinians living in Gaza, ending the death and destruction and, frankly, bad luck.”
However, the UN secretary-general warned that “in the search for solutions, we must not make the problem worse.”
Guterres said that it is “vital to stay true to the bedrock of international law (and) essential to avoid any form of ethnic cleansing.”
Speaking in New York at the opening of the 2025 session of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, he called for a renewed commitment to ensuring Palestinians can “simply live as human beings in their own land.”
He added: “We have seen the realization of those rights steadily slip farther out of reach.
“We have seen a chilling, systematic dehumanization and demonization of an entire people.”
The UN chief described “the catalogue of destruction and unspeakable horrors” as a result of 15 months of war on Gaza, in which nearly 50,000 people have been killed, 70 percent of them women and children.
He also condemned the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and water facilities.
“The overwhelming majority of the entire population have faced displacement after displacement, hunger, and disease,” said Guterres.
“Children, out of school for over a year. A generation left homeless and traumatized.”
He said: “I welcome the ceasefire and hostage release deal. I thank the mediators — Egypt, Qatar, and the US — for the continued efforts to ensure implementation.
“Now is the time to be crystal clear about objectives going forward.”
While acknowledging the recent truce and freeing of captives held by Hamas, Guterres urged continued efforts for lasting peace.
“We must keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay. We cannot go back to more death and destruction,” he said.
The UN is working tirelessly to provide humanitarian aid, he added, emphasizing the need for rapid, safe, and sustained access to those in need.
Guterres called for the international community to support the essential work of the UN Relief and Works Agency, which provides services to Palestinian refugees.
He reiterated the UN’s commitment to the two-state solution as the only viable path to a lasting peace.
“A viable, sovereign Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel is the only sustainable solution for Middle East stability,” he said.
The path to this solution, Guterres said, requires tangible, irreversible progress toward ending the occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Gaza as an integral part.
The UN chief also expressed deep concern about rising violence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, particularly acts of aggression by Israeli settlers.
“As affirmed by the International Court of Justice, Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territory must end,” said Guterres.
He called for a halt to the violence and for those responsible to be held accountable in accordance with international law.
Additionally, he emphasized the importance of preserving the unity and integrity of occupied Palestinian territory, including efforts to rebuild Gaza after its devastation.
“International law must be respected, and accountability ensured,” Guterres said.
He also stressed the importance of supporting the Palestinian Authority to foster unity and governance, which are essential for a viable future for Palestinians.
“We must work toward preserving the unity, contiguity, and integrity of the occupied Palestinian territory and the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
“A strong and unified Palestinian governance is crucial.
“The international community must support the Palestinian Authority to this end,” he said.
