Palestinian hunger striker demands immediate release from Israeli prison [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
The president of the Palestinian Prisoners' Society, Qaddoura Fares, said terms of an agreement to end the strike of prisoner Mahmoud al-Sarsak were reached. Al-Sarsak entered his 89th day of hunger strike. The Israeli Prison Service promised prisoner al-Sarsak to look into his case, and respond to his request within 72 hours. Fares added that Sarsak has agreed in the meantime to drink only milk as he continues to demand his release.

Reporter, Female #1
With all of this Palestinian woman's worries and fears, she still joined the protest in solidarity with the prisoners. Her son, prisoner Mahmoud al-Sarsak, is between life and death after waging the longest hunger strike in the history of Palestinian prisoners, as he enters his 89th day of strike. Mahmoud was transferred to Assaf Harofeh Hospital in south Tel Aviv after his health deteriorated. He is refusing to end his strike before receiving guarantees for his release.

Guest, Female #2
I miss him so much. May God grant his good health. We ask God to grant him health and to be able to stand back on his feet.

Reporter, Female #1
The worries of the prisoners' families grow as they continue to wait for the permission to visit their children on the basis of the agreement that was signed with Israel.

Reporter, Female #1
Another protest was organized outside the offices of the Red Cross in the city of Jerusalem. British and Scottish solidarity activists participated in the protest.

Guest, Male #2 (Timo Hill, Scottish Solidarity Activist)
We are here today to express our solidarity with the Palestinian people, and Palestinian prisoners who continue to resist the occupation. We will go to the British consulate to express our objection to the British government's complicity in the Israeli occupation.

Reporter, Female #1
As for the residents of the city, they endure humiliating searches when they visit the prisons, but at least it allows them to see their children and receive letters from them.

Guest, Male #3 (Father of Prisoner Bilal Abu Hussein)
He told me we will discuss the issues with the prison authority within a week, and if they don't meet our demands, we will go on strike again.

Reporter, Female #1
Three prisoners continue their hunger strike in the prisons. Besides Mahmoud al-Sarsak, prisoner Akram al-Rekhawi has entered his 60th day of strike; prisoner Samer al-Bark is on his 21st day. The agreement reached following the prisoners' hunger strike tackled dozens of issues, but left hundreds, if not thousands, of injustices inside these walls. These issues could reignite the case of the prisoners at any moment. Shirin Abu Aqla, Al Jazeera, near Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah.

--

International Criminal Court attorney detained for smuggling documents to Gaddafi son [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Representatives of the International Criminal Court have arrived in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, in a bid to secure the release of detained ICC members that include Australian attorney Melinda Taylor. The team was arrested during a visit to Muammar al-Gaddafi's son, Saif al-Islam, who is being held in al-Zintan. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard urged the Libyan authorities to release lawyer Melinda Taylor, who is being detained on charges of smuggling documents to Saif al-Islam, who is considered to be a threat to national security.

--

Embattled Iraqi PM retains his power [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Iraq has rejected the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki due to a lack of parliamentary quorum, as the political battle continues to rage. Meanwhile, al-Maliki's opponents say they will continue to push for a no-confidence vote against the government through constitutional channels. They sent a letter to President Jalal Talbani confirming the validity of the legislators' signatures, which they say meet the quorum required by the constitution for a no-confidence vote. Our correspondent Shafiq Abed al-Jabar reports from Baghdad.

Reporter, Male #2
The battle for enforcing a no-confidence vote against the Nouri al-Maliki-led government is continuing within the legal formwork. Members of the Iraqiya Bloc, the Kurdistan Alliance, and the Sadrist Movement met in Irbil to counter President Jalal Talabani's decision to block a no-confidence vote against al-Maliki due to a lack of parliamentary quorum. For his part, Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr said the battle for a no-confidence vote will continue amid reservations by the Rule of Law Coalition.

Guest, Male #3 (Abbas al-Biyani, Rule of Law Member)
The only choice left is to implement political reforms within a time frame specified by a roadmap. However, these reforms require the launch of a national dialogue.

Reporter, Male #2
The failure to enforce a no-confidence vote was due to a lack of parliamentary quorum after 11 legislators withdrew their names from the list, bringing the number of voters to 160, a move that has weakened the position of parliamentary blocs opposing the government and the prime minister. In addition, Talabani's refusal to submit the motion to the parliament has increased al-Maliki's chances of remaining in office and resuming the national dialogue.

Guest, Male #4 (Abed Khader al-Taher, Iraqiya Bloc Member)
We are embarking on a historical crossroad. Therefore, we must utilize the democratic principles in a positive way. Also, we need to mobilize in ways that will enable us to serve the Iraqi people and help bring the political rivals closer, as well as help them put an end to their hostility.

Reporter, Male #2
The situation is back to square one. This is the title of the political game in Iraq, with its many faces. While some are calling for a national dialogue to resolve the crisis, others are warning against it. And in between the two, the crisis seems to getting further complicated, especially amid the deteriorating security situation.

--

Kashmir shuts down to remember martyrs of 2010 uprising [Press TV, Iran]

In Indian-controlled Kashmir, people have started to mark "Martyrs' Week," in which businesses, government offices, and shops shut down in remembrance of over 120 martyrs killed at the hands of security forces during the 2010 uprising in which protestors demanded independence over Indian rule. The shutdown was called for by Kashmir's pro-independence Hurryat Conference.

--

Syrian forces shell al-Rastan, clash with Free Army [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 52 people, including a number of regime soldiers, were killed today in the shelling and clashes across many Syrian regions. The shelling continues in the city of Rastan in Homs Province, a stronghold of the Free Syrian Army, in addition to the bombardment of nearby sites, including Talbisa and al-Ghantoo. Opposition activists said that other areas in Homs are also being heavily shelled.

Reporter, Male #2
The city of al-Rastan is shelled by Syrian regime forces using helicopters, in an attempt to seize the city that is no longer under the control of the regime. Regime forces have been besieging the city for months, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The city of Rastan in Homs Province is considered one of the Free Syrian Army's strongholds. A brigade that includes Alawite officers announced its defection from the army yesterday; the officers joined the Free Syrian Army with their weapons. The BBC is unable to independently verify the authenticity of a video the brigade uploaded online.

Guest, Male #3
We warn Bashar al-Assad, if you do not give up your power, we will launch missiles in the direction of the presidential palace.

Reporter, Male #2
A number of the regime's military personnel and defectors were killed in the town of al-Eshara in Deir az-Zour Province, when regime forces shelled the area following violent clashes that broke out at dawn between Syrian regime forces and opposition fighters. Online, the fighters said they confiscated a large amount of weapons. In addition, the Observatory said eight unidentified corpses were discovered in the town.

Guest, Male #4
Indiscriminate shelling on the neighborhoods of al-Khalidiya, and al-Quds al-Qadeema.

Reporter, Male #2
As for Homs, some of its neighborhoods were shelled by regime forces. In its countryside, a regime checkpoint was attacked by opposition fighters at dawn, killing and injuring a number of soldiers manning the checkpoint, according to the Observatory.

Reporter, Male #2
In the city of Idlib, four security members were killed, including an officer and two civilians, when an explosive device targeting a security patrol was detonated. In its countryside, a woman was killed when gunfire was opened at a bus she was traveling on near the city of Ariha. Four civilians were killed after a rocket fell on the village of al-Udwan, and a young man was shot dead by snipers in the village of Sarja.

Reporter, Male #2
In Hama Province, civilians were killed in a military operation by the regime forces in the villages of Qastoun, Shaghurit and al-Lajj. A regime soldier was also killed in Qastoun and a tank was damaged when it was attacked by opposition fighters. Regime forces continued to target towns and villages of the province where anti-regime fighters are entrenched.

Reporter, Male #2
On the other hand, Syrian state TV said Syrian authorities foiled attempts by a group that it described as terrorists to bomb a car with a large amount of explosives near Jaramana in the countryside of Damascus.

Reporter, Male #2
The state-run channel said the device weighed around 700 kilograms. It aired images of the international observers' delegation surveying the booby-trapped car.

Reporter, Male #2
Syria's state news agency SANA reported that a member of the Syrian army was killed and two civilians were injured when two explosive devices were detonated. According to SANA, an armed terrorist group planted the devices in two cars in the Barza neighborhood of Damascus.

Reporter, Male #2
As for the street, it continues to hold demonstrations demanding freedom, and protests in solidarity with the besieged regions getting shelled. In these areas, dozens of civilians are being killed in a bloody series of incessant violence that has been ongoing for 16 months. Hayyan Yaqoob, BBC.

--

Moroccans protest rising fuel prices [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
In Morocco, the Democratic Confederation of Labor organized a march warning Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane's government of the repercussions of the decision to raise fuel prices. Demonstrators carried slogans condemning what they referred to as the government's policy of exclusion, marginalization, and tyranny. They demanded a recall of the decision to increase the price.

Reporter, Male #1
During a march organized in Rabat, the Democratic Confederation of Labor demanded the government recall its decision to raise fuel prices. It confirmed that such an increase, and the subsequent hikes in the cost of public transportation and basic goods, will further aggravate the situation of a broad spectrum of citizens counting on Benkirane's government to improve their living conditions.

Guest, Male #2 (Ali Lutfi, Democratic Confederation of Labor Leader)
Recall this shameful decision that is rejected; this increase in the price of fuel will have a negative impact on the citizens' purchasing power.

Reporter, Male #1
The confederation viewed the march in Rabat as the people's cry of anger in the face of the government's policy of exclusion, marginalization, oppression, impoverishment, and tyranny, as described by the demonstrators that included the youth of the February 20 movement. Protestors said the change awaited by the masses will not occur through the pockets of the poor, but by combating corruption and recovering the country's stolen wealth.

Guest, Male #3 (Abdul Samad Ayyash, Coordinator in the February 20 Movement's Communication Committee)
This is a puppet government that is executing projects for another government, with hidden agendas behind the curtain.

Reporter, Male #1
The policy of using sticks to disperse the protestors was rejected and denounced, as stressed by the Confederation. It warned the government against its insistence on using security forces to solve its social problems, and its continued clampdown on the union's rights.

Guest, Male #4 (Mohamed al-Najili, Democratic Confederation of Labor Executive Board Member)
It is unreasonable for the demands of the confederation to be confronted with repressive measures and sticks. We cannot meet the workers' demands by threatening them, deducting their salaries, and passing a law against striking. We cannot confront the demands to live in a decent residence by demolishing their houses.

Reporter, Male #1
It seems the reaction to the fuel price increase have come to demanding the resignation of Benkirane. But this did not affect the head of the government, who asserted that he was not concerned about his popularity, adding that the government made the decision to reduce the country's deficit.

--

Vandals deface Yad Vashem Holocaust memorials with anti-Zionist graffiti [IBA, Israel]

In Yad Vashem, vandals spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti on different walls of memorials around the site. Police believe extremists in the anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox community are responsible. The graffiti, written in both formal Hebrew characters as well as in handwritten script, displayed messages such as "Hitler, thank you for the wonderful Holocaust," "If Hitler didn't exist, the Zionists wouldn't have had to invent him," "Jews, wake up: the evil Zionist regime is not protecting us, it's only putting us in harm's way," and, "To the respectable government of Poland: stop allowing the Zionists to conduct manipulative commemorations in Auschwitz." Some of the graffiti was signed, "From the World Zionist Mafia," while others were signed "World Haredi Judaism."

--

Iraqi federal police dismantle terrorist network in Mosul [Al-Iraqiya TV, Iraq]

Presenter, Male #1
In Iraq, security agencies in Ninawa were able to dismantle an 11-member terrorist network that attempted to infiltrate police recruits.

Presenter, Female #1
The group confessed to carrying out several assassinations, and terrorist bombings in Mosul.

Reporter, Male #1
In a press conference in Mosul, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Mosul Federal Police, Major-General Mahdi al-Gharawi, announced the arrest of what he referred to as "the city's most dangerous terrorists." This comes after the arrest of a terrorist group affiliated with the so-called "Islamic State of Iraq" terror organization. The group was arrested while trying to infiltrate the federal police force. The group confessed to carrying out assassinations, booby-trapped car explosions, and attacks on civilians.

Guest, Male #3 (Major-General Mahdi Gharawi, Mosul Federal Police Commander of the 3rd Battalion)
The number of terrorists is 11, led by the group's Emir Ziad Shihab Ahmed. They were arrested while attempting to infiltrate volunteers of the Iraqi army and federal police. We have arrested six so far, and God willing, we will go after and arrest the other five in the coming days.

Reporter, Male #2
In another development, al-Gharawi confirmed they were able to identify an extortion group accused of threatening and targeting owners of oil transportation carriers, which has sparked a diesel crisis throughout the city.

Guest, Male #3
I assure you that it's the same old group. They are operating under a different name. I would like to say this again in front of the media: the two groups are the same one, and they're owned and operated by the same people. God willing, we will apprehend and refer them to the judiciary in the coming days.

Reporter, Male #2
The success witnessed on the ground is being attributed to recent changes made to security plans and strategies. This helped security agencies eliminate some of the largest groups that have been threatening the security of Iraqi citizens. This comes after the federal police were able to infiltrate and dismantle the ranks of such groups. From the city of Mosul, Khaled al-Jawheri, Al-Iraqiya.

** Contact Mosaic News: mosaicnews{at}linktv{dot}org