Sarkozy, Cameron assure Arabs the Libyan revolution is homegrown [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Female #1
Before heading to Benghazi from Tripoli, British Prime Minister David Cameron said that NATO was ready to continue its mission in Libya and protect the civilians according to Security Council Resolution 1973. French President Nicolas Sarkozy denied that the West interfered in Libya because of side deals to share Libya's oil wealth. He called on Gaddafi and his supporters to put down their weapons and surrender.

Reporter, Male #1
The Libyan National Transitional Council is receiving new support. David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy are in Tripoli. The two men were the first to call for the overthrow of Gaddafi, even if by the use of force. Cameron and Sarkozy brokered the UN resolution to impose a no-fly zone over Libya, and then authorized NATO to launch air strikes on Gaddafi's strongholds. They are now repeating to Libyans what they have said outside Libya.

Guest, Male #2 (David Cameron, British Prime Minister)
We will go on with the NATO mission for as long as is necessary under the UN Resolution 1973 to protect civilians, as I said, this work isn't finished yet. There are still parts of Libya under Gaddafi control. And the message I think to Gaddafi and all those still holding arms on his behalf is: it is over. Give up. The mercenaries should go home.

Guest, Male #3 (Nicolas Sarkozy, French President)
I want to say this to the Arab public listening to us, there were no kickbacks, no hidden agreements to access Libya's resources; we are not asking for any preferential treatment. We did what we thought was just. And we believe that the world does not need conflicts between the East and the West. I should make this clear so that the public in all Arab countries know that the National Transitional Council led a just revolution, and the coalition took part because it believed it was just.

Reporter, Male #1
The new Libyan authorities requested that France and Britain continue protecting civilians from attacks by Gaddafi's supporters and cleanse the country of its landmines on the basis of its commitment to implementing Security Council Resolution 1973. The education sector was also included in the development agreement sponsored by France.

Guest, Male #4 (Mahmoud Jibril, NTC Prime Minister)
France kindly offered to help begin education as soon as possible in some equipped schools. Britain and France also accelerated the process of unfreezing Libyan assets in accordance with the Security Council resolution.

Reporter, Male #1
Sarkozy and Cameron took advantage of the Libyans' appreciation for them to its fullest. They visited a hospital in Tripoli and met with those wounded in the battle now known as the "Battle for the Liberation of Tripoli." The battle does not appear to have ended in all of Libya; Gaddafi is still at large and threatens his opponents at every opportunity. His supporters are entrenched in three cities waiting for the moment of resolution. It appears that the path to rebuild a new Libya is filled with obstacles and challenges both inside and outside Libya.

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Fresh clashes erupt between armed tribesmen and Saleh's forces in Sanaa [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Yemeni security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas at protestors gathering in front of the security building in central Taiz south of the capital, injuring 12 people. Thousands of Yemeni youths have taken to the streets in a massive rally demanding "revolutionary resolve" and rejecting talks with what they referred to as "remnants of the regime." The protestors chanted slogans denouncing foreign intervention in Yemeni affairs. In another development, the Taiz provincial civil council called on the country's political and revolutionary blocs to hold what they referred to as "a responsible meeting to rally support for the revolution." Two Yemenis were killed and several others wounded in renewed clashes between forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh and armed tribesmen in the capital Sanaa. Yemeni news websites quoted what they referred to as 'reliable' sources in the southern port of Aden, saying that a Saudi shipment of arms and military equipment arrived at the port to reinforce pro-Saleh forces and militias.

Reporter, Female #2
Tension is rapidly escalating in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The situation has exploded, as clashes erupted once again between pro-President Ali Abdullal Saleh's forces and supporters of Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar in the area of Hasba. Intermittent clashes also erupted in the area of Shamlan, where rival forces exchanged heavy artillery and gunfire, which quickly spread to Sixteen Street and the Sinyah neighborhood. Incoming reports confirmed that several homes, including al-Ahmar's residential compound, sustained property damage due to the heavy shelling by Saleh's brigades in the areas of Attan and Sabaha. In addition, several people were killed or injured in the fighting. These latest developments follow President Saleh's announcement, in which he authorized his deputy Abed Rabu Mansur Hadi to resume talks with the parties that signed the Gulf Cooperation Counsel's initiative for the transfer of power in the country. The Joint Meeting Parties, JMP, rejected Saleh's bid and reiterated they will not hold talks with the ruling Congress Party. The JMP accused Saleh of exhausting the political option by refusing to sign the Gulf initiative. In addition, the JMP called on the youths of the revolution to escalate their peaceful protests until the downfall of the "remnants of the regime."

Guest, Male #1 (Marwan al-Uod, Yemeni Political Activist)
The renewed clashes between the Yemeni forces and tribes loyal to Sheikh al-Ahmar are additional proof of the deteriorating security situation in Yemen, especially the capital Sanaa where heightened security measures are in effect. We call on the youths to push ahead with their escalation and maintain pressure on this nearly-collapsed regime.

Reporter, Female #2
The volatile situation has spiraled out of control in the capital Sanaa, where the Republican Guards dispatched reinforcement units and deployed tanks and missiles on hills overlooking the city. According to Yemeni news websites, in what was attributed to sources described as 'reliable' in the southern port of Aden, a new shipment of Saudi arms and military equipment arrived at the port to reinforce forces and militias loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Guest, Male #1 (Marwan al-Uod, Yemeni Political Activist)
The Saudi role in Yemen is very clear. What was reported by the news agency about the Saudi military supplies to Yemen is not surprising. It's clear that the Saudi Kingdom and regime are continuing to support the tyrant Ali Abdullah Saleh as well as other Arab dictators.

Reporter, Female #2
The Yemen Express website quoted witnesses saying that a new Saudi fleet of armored vehicles, supplied by the Saudi Kingdom a few months ago, was seen leaving the port of Aden to al-Nasr base in the area of Arish on the outskirts of Khoun in central Aden. The source added that it was the second fleet of armored vehicles and machinery to arrive in Yemen since the launch of protests demanding the downfall of the more than three-decade-long rule.

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Israel to uproot thousands of Bedouins from the West Bank to expand its settlements [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Female # 1
The authorities of the Israeli occupation are planning to expedite the plan to evacuate all Bedouin communities from Area C in the occupied West Bank, which is under Israel's complete civilian and military control, and transfer them to nearby residential areas.

Presenter, Male # 1
Observers say the plan aims to expand Israeli settlement activities in the area and connect the Ma'aleh Adumim settlement to the city of Jerusalem.

Presenter, Female # 1
More details in this report by our correspondent Elias Karram in Jerusalem.

Reporter, Male # 2
Mohammad Abu Dahouk was a young boy, not even ten years old, when the Jahalin tribe was expelled from the Negev Desert on the day of Palestine's Nakba or catastrophe. Members of the tribe mainly settled in the eastern slopes of the Jerusalem mountains. Here, they live a modest Bedouin life in tinplate homes. However, their quiet and simple life is being disrupted by the Israeli occupation's threat to evacuate them from the area.

Guest, Male # 3 (Mohammad Abu Dahouk, Jahalin Tribe)
Why do you want to make us leave and put these settlements? This is land of the Negev. This is our land. It's your land? You? Who came yesterday! While I've been here for a hundred years, my father and grandfather and great-grandfather were born here. We will never leave! This is our land and we must stay here! We will remain, here, steadfast until judgment day.

Reporter, Male # 2
Numerous indicators point to their impending eviction. The tribe is now surrounded by main roads, settlements, and army bases. In addition, fertile areas that provided pastures for livestock are being limited and closed. The pace of the closure is threatening their livelihoods and costing them heavy material loses.

Guest, Male # 4 (Daoud Abu Dahouk, Jahalin Tribe)
They closed down all the Bedouins' mountains here, as you can see, all the Bedouins are in the same situation I am in. There are no pastures at all. Go over there near the military base and you might not make it back.

Reporter, Male # 2
Nearly 27,000 nomadic Bedouins live in the occupied West Bank. Most of them live in Area C, which is under complete Israeli control. Israel is seeking to gather these people in permanent residential areas within three to six years.

Guest, Female # 2 (Hagit Ghufran, Israeli Peace Now Movement)
It is confirmed that settlements are illegal, so how is it that the original inhabitants of the land are transferred to settle the settlers? This goes against all international laws and is completely immoral.

Reporter, Male # 2
The first threatened with evacuation is a group of 2,400 people living in Bedouin communities on the outskirts of Jerusalem. They will be relocated to a site near a large garbage dump in al-Azariya. Their areas are considered vital for the expansion of the Ma'aleh Adumim settlement and others settlements toward the city of Jerusalem. Residents of these Bedouin communities say they fear they will experience another catastrophe. Uprooting them from this area not only threatens their individual futures but also paves the way for an unprecedented settlement expansion that will permanently encircle the city of Jerusalem and isolate it from the occupied West Bank. Elias Karram, al-Jazeera, from the Jahalin tribe, east of Jerusalem.

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Abbas: Palestinians to seek full UN membership [IBA, Israel]

We open with two significant announcements today. The Palestinian leadership has confirmed that it will go directly to the United Nations Security Council with the request for statehood recognition. This as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that he will represent the state of Israel in an address before the General Assembly next week. Yes, the Palestinians officially threw down the gauntlet today, challenging the US to exercise its veto in the Security Council. Here is what the Palestinian foreign minister announced in Ramallah today regarding president Mahmoud Abbas's to the General Assembly next Friday.

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Syrian activists form opposition council in Istanbul [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Male #1
We look at the developments on the ground in Syria.

Reporter, Male #2
Six months have passed since the start of the Syrian revolution against Assad's regime and the killing machines is ongoing, claiming additional protestors demanding freedom. The opposition is mobilizing its supporters to take part in the "Friday of perseverance until the downfall of the regime." Thousands of Syrians responded to the call for what they named the "Thursday to renew the pledge" in massive demonstrations that swept across various Syrian cities and towns. Protestors renewed their insistence on continuing their revolution until the downfall of the regime despite the violence committed by government forces. They are demanding international protection for demonstrators. Today did not differ from the previous days of protests. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two people were killed in the city of Homs in central Syria, and a third was killed in the coastal city of Latakia by security forces's gunfire. Activists uploaded images online of what they said shows the traces of blood of ten workers on a farm in the city of Basr al-Harir in Daraa Province, who were killed by Syrian security forces. Activists also uploaded videos of a massive demonstration held during the funeral of soldier Ahmed Othman Qteimish, who was liquidated by security forces and the shabeha after he refused to open fire on civilians in Homs. Meanwhile, the case of Lieutenant Colonel Hussein al-Harmoush still resonates. He was the first officer to defect from the Syrian army. After he disappeared from Turkey nearly two weeks ago, he appeared on Syrian state-run TV giving confessions. The opposition said he was threatened to do so. In exchange, Syrian opposition sources said it is likely that Harmoush was kidnapped by the Syrian intelligence without the Turkish authorities' knowledge. Meanwhile, a leader of the Free Syrian Army, which comprises of defected officers and soldiers, held the Syrian regime responsible for the life of Lieutenant Colonel Harmoush.

Guest, Male #3
We say to the oppressive regime that we swore to God and to the people that every time one of us is arrested and killed, thousands of us will take to the street. In front of the world, I hold the criminal regime responsible for preserving the life of the hero Lieutenant Colonel Hussein al-Harmoush. Release him immediately and hand him over to the Turkish authorities. Otherwise, our response will be harsh and it will shake your foundation and destroy your tyrants through specific operations by our brigades targeting your whole military, security, and civilian leadership.

Reporter, Male #2
In a notable move in Istanbul, a Syrian National Council was formed with the aim of representing the revolution. This comes following consultations between several sides of the opposition inside Syria and abroad. In a press conference in Istanbul, those leading the council unveiled its formation, goals, and timeframe. Among its goals are to work for the downfall of the Assad regime, maintain the peaceful nature of the revolution, and seek the establishment of a pluralistic, civil, and democratic state. The council is comprised of nearly 115 individuals, including 50 inside Syria. The council representatives called on a number of other opposition activists to join them.

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Israeli ambassador flees Jordan fearing repeat of Egypt protest [Press TV, Iran]

Israel has evacuated its diplomatic staff from the Jordanian capital Amman. Angry protestors rallied against the US and Israel outside the American embassy earlier. They promised to break into the Israeli embassy later on Thursday. Anti-US and anti-Israeli sentiments are flaring up in the Middle East. Thousands of Jordanians have held protests against Washington and Tel Aviv in Amman. The demonstrators took to the streets to vent their anger at plans to resettle Palestinian refugees in Jordan.

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Lieberman: Israel may support PKK to punish Turkey [Press TV, Iran]

The Israeli foreign minister's recent threats against Turkey have caused alarm across the region. Avigdor Lieberman has said Tel Aviv may back the terrorist group PKK against Ankara. The recent deterioration in the relations between Turkey and Israel let to the right-wing Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman telling a newspaper that he had planned meetings ion Europe with PKK leaders to discuss ways of cooperating against Turkey. The PKK, which stands for the Kurdistan Workers' Party is a left-wing militant group listed by much of the international community as a terrorist organization and which engages in armed conflict against the Turkish state for autonomy in the country's southeast.

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Families of January 25 victims doubt Mubarak's trial will bring justice [France 24, France]

Presenter, Male #1
In Cairo, the trial of deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Interior Minister Habib al-Adly, and six of their aides, continues. They are facing charges of ordering the killing of protestors demanding the ouster of the president and his regime. It seems several victims' families do not believe this trial's verdict will bring them justice.

Reporter, Male #2
Seven months after the tragedy, sadness is still apparent on the faces of Mohamed and his wife. Their son was killed on January 29 during the Egyptian revolution by the police's gunfire. Hassan died in his father's arms.

Guest, Male #3
We were in the taxi. The bullet penetrated a bag, the seat, then entered Hassan's back and came out of his chest and into the driver's seat.

Reporter, Male #2
Mohamed fears the killers will escape punishment.

Guest, Male #3
There is no justice; there is no justice in the Egyptian judiciary. Not in the Egyptian judiciary, nor the armed council. Mubarak's policies are still here.

Reporter, Male #2
Lawyer Khalid Abu Bakar is defending 28 families. He believes the post-revolution judicial system is slowly being liberated from the former regime.

Guest, Male #4 (Khalid Abu Bakar, Lawyer)
The regime of former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak used to gain support from lawyers and judges. However, since the January revolution, the judiciary has become somewhat independent.

Reporter, Male #2
The government permitted media networks to broadcast court procedures of the trial but later reversed its decision.

Guest, Male #5
Whether it's across the media, with cameras or without cameras, we know the issue will wither away.

Guest, Female #1
My goal and hope was for the trial to be broadcast on TV so I could be, at the very least, reassured. But I feel like the Egyptian judiciary is back to its theatrics.

Reporter, Male #2
The Lawyers' Guild is seeking to provide the testimonies of over one thousand people. The testimonies will not be aired live, so Egyptians will have to accept the court's decision.