By Andrius Sytas

VILNIUS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - A Lithuanian court found the leader of a junior party in the ruling coalition government on Thursday guilty of incitement to hatred against Jews and belittling the Holocaust in social media posts in 2023.

Remigijus Zemaitaitis, founder of the populist Nemunas Dawn, was fined 5,000 euros ($5,835) for falsely accusing the Jewish people, as a group, of historical crimes, encouraging hostility and strengthening negative stereotypes, the court said.

TUNIS, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Tunisian police arrested on Thursday top opposition figure Nejib Chebbi, one of President Kais Saied’s fiercest opponents, to enforce a 12-year jail term on a conviction for conspiracy against state security, his family said.

An appeals court last week handed jail terms of up to 45 years to dozens of opposition leaders including Chebbi, business figures and lawyers on charges of conspiracy to overthrow President Kais Saied, in what critics said was a sign of his increasingly authoritarian rule.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA, Dec 4 (Reuters) - National broadcasters behind the Eurovision Song Contest meet on Thursday to discuss whether Israel should be barred from participating next year, amid threats by some to pull out over the Gaza war.

The meeting in Geneva marks a watershed moment for the competition which draws millions of viewers worldwide.

The Spanish and others national broadcasters have threatened to boycott the event if Israel is included, citing the death count in Gaza, and accused it of not following rules meant to guard the contest's neutrality.

ROME, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Italy's defence minister on Thursday said other countries, including Germany and Australia, may be interested in entering the GCAP fighter jet programme in the future, with requests also coming from Saudi Arabia and Canada.

The GCAP, which currently involves Italy, Britain and Japan, is an effort to build a next-generation fighter by 2035 and is being led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, BAE Systems in Britain and Leonardo in Italy.

BAGHDAD, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Iraq will freeze the money of Iran-backed armed groups, including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthis, the official gazette said.

The move will likely be welcomed by Washington, which has long sought to reduce Iran's influence in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East where Tehran has allies.

Israel awaited the return of the last hostage remains held by Palestinian militants in Gaza, as the military said on Thursday that those of a Thai national had been identified after they were handed over.

Under the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, militants were due to return all 48 hostages they held captive, 20 of whom were still alive.

All but the remains of Israeli Ran Gvili have since been handed over, though Israel has accused the Palestinian militants of dragging their feet on returning bodies.

A United Nations Security Council delegation made its first-ever visit to Syria on Thursday, pledging the international community's support for the country days before the anniversary of Bashar al-Assad's ousting.

"We reiterated our clear support for sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria," Slovenian UN ambassador Samuel Zbogar told a press conference in Damascus.

By Can Sezer

ISTANBUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Turkey is telling Russia, Ukraine, and all other parties to keep energy infrastructure out of their conflict and wants energy flows to continue uninterrupted, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said after a series of attacks off Turkey's Black Sea coast.

Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest will be debated at a two-day meeting of member broadcasters in Geneva starting Thursday, following calls to exclude the country over its Gaza war tactics.

Countries including Iceland, Ireland, Spain and the Netherlands, have threatened in recent months to pull out of the 2026 contest if Israel takes part.

Others, including Belgium, Finland and Sweden, have also indicated they were considering a boycott over the situation in Gaza.

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - China will provide $100 million in aid to the Palestinians to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and support reconstruction efforts, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

Xi was speaking at a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after their meeting in Beijing.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang and Joe Cash; Editing by Himani Sarkar)