Jihadist group claims responsibility for deadly Egypt-Israel border attack [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
An Egyptian criminal court in the city of al-Ismailia sentenced 14 people to death from the Tawhid and Jihad group, after they were convicted of bombing a police station in al-Arish, as well as the Bank of Alexandria. The court also punished four others with life sentences, while it acquitted six more.

Presenter, Male #1
The events of the case go back to June of last year, in an attack claimed by the Tawhid and Jihad group on members of the armed forces, which led to the deaths of three officers, three conscripts, and a civilian. There was also the attempted murder of others in armed attacks on the Bank of Alexandria and another police station in al-Arish.

Presenter, Male #1
Meanwhile, the Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, or Partisans of Jerusalem group, claimed responsibility for the attack that took place at the Egyptian-Israeli border two days ago. It led to the death of an Israeli soldier, and three of the armed men. In a statement that was published on websites attributed to jihadist groups, the group said that the operation was in response to the film that insulted the Prophet. However, the relationship between Ansar Bait al-Maqdis and Israel goes back to before this recent operation.

Reporter, Male #2
Here in the village of Khreiza, in northern Sinai, a mysterious attack occurred at the end of last month, which residents blamed Israel for. The attack led to the death of Ibrahim Aweida, who the residents say participated in previous operations against Israeli targets.

Guest, Male #3
This martyr, who was killed here, was accused by Israel of conducting operations against Israel. So, Israel sent its Mossad men, and others, to place explosives on the way from his home to the village.

Reporter, Male #2
Aweida was a member of Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, which is the group that announced its responsibility for the latest attack on the Israeli patrol near the place where Aweida was killed.

Reporter, Male #2
The statement that was released by the group says that three members, armed with machine guns and RPGs, set up an ambush for an Israeli patrol consisting of two cars. They alleged that at least eight soldiers were killed, before the attackers were killed in a later clash with the Israeli army's backup units.

Reporter, Male #2
The statement says that the operation was prepared to avenge the killing of Ibrahim Aweida. However, this objective was postponed for a later operation, while this operation was dedicated as a response to the film that insulted the Prophet.

Reporter, Male #2
The presence of jihadist groups in the Sinai came into the spotlight in the aftermath of the protests against the film. This was the scene we saw in Arish, after Friday prayers. It was titled, "The Friday of Supporting the Prophet."

Reporter, Male #2
The next day, armed men besieged a camp of multinational forces in the area of al-Jura for hours, before army forces carried out a raid campaign that evening, which led to the arrest of a number of residents. And within hours, a response came in the form of two attacks on the Security Directorate of Northern Sinai and the Sheikh Zuwaid police station, which led to several injuries. These developments confirm that the operation that has been conducted by military and police forces in the Sinai for weeks has not been successful at imposing full control on the peninsula.

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The two Sudans move towards deal as UN deadline expires [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
A new round of talks started this afternoon between Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, and the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, after the lapse of the extended deadline to end their disputes, which was granted to the two nations by the Security Council.

Presenter, Female #1
Yesterday's meeting failed to arrive at an agreement regarding the resumption of oil exportation and the overcoming of border disputes.

Reporter, Male #2
On the road to the summit, or perhaps an end to the cycle of disputes between the two countries, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and President of the southern state, Salva Kiir, are on the path of talks, in the hope that they will solve their disputes through negotiations, which had previously eluded the two sides.

Guest, Male #3 (Badr Eddin Abdullah, Spokesperson for the Sudanese Negotiation Delegation)
There were several issues that were agreed upon, but there are also issues that were not agreed upon. At the forefront is the issue of security. All issues that have not been agreed upon will be presented at the summit for examination.

Reporter, Male #2
An optimistic atmosphere was felt outside the conference hall. However, the remaining disagreements are an obstacle, not merely for the delegates of the two countries, but also for their young people, who are eager for peace, and fear another failure on the path to achieving the peace that they're still waiting for.

Guest, Male #4 (Al-Nour Ahmad al-Nour, Writer and Political Analyst)
The complexity of the issues presented at the summit makes it difficult to predict whether the summit will take on all these issues during only these sessions. I think the summit will make progress. But it would be difficult to resolve all these issues during sessions that will last no longer than two days.

Reporter, Male #2
The first meeting between the two presidents concluded without official statements. Yet another meeting will follow, in the hopes that it will remove more obstacles in the path of the disputed issues. Many disputed issues remain between the two countries, despite the decisions made by the two presidents. Observers see the summit as a move in the right direction to achieve peace, which has become a local, regional, and global demand. Haitham Auyet, Al Jazeera, Addis Ababa.

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Cairo's graffiti revolutionaries repaint whitewashed murals [Nile TV, Egypt]

Presenter, Male #1
The setting of the revolution, or the revolution's graffiti, returned to the streets of Mohamed Mahmoud in the form of different murals, after they were removed during the ongoing cleaning campaigns in the area. And in Tahrir, the process of paving, repairing, and tree-planting continues, showing the civilized face of the square, after it became the face of the revolution.

Reporter, Male #2
The walls of Mohamed Mahmoud are being repainted after hidden hands interfered, and erased the drawings by the revolutionary youths, which chronicled events and their locations. With brushes and colors, they turned what's happening in their imaginations into reality, expressing determination to remain visible in the political arena. It created a role for the youths, even if only on the walls.

Guest, Male #3
We are here today to respond to the destruction that occurred last Monday, and we are here to protect the walls of Mohamed Mahmoud. The fact that the drawings were erased was very upsetting to everyone, even those who didn't draw them.

Guest, Male #4
Why did they erase the drawings? Where is the freedom and democracy that they are talking about? They are clearly against all innovators and intellectuals, and for whose interest?

Guest, Male #5
There are people who have forgotten about all those who died, and focused on the elections. We are here to draw again. We are here to continue our revolution, and to send a message to the authorities that we're standing up, because we demand justice.

Reporter, Male #2
"Inside me is a martyr" is a phrase that goes from being mere words on a wall, to a memory in the hearts of those present here. The events of the revolution and its phases were decisive points in Egypt's history. What came after remains fresh in their minds, as accusations are exchanged about who wanted to erase the story of January 25th from the walls.

Guest, Female #1
The interior ministry is harassing us. They came to erase this graffiti, which is part of the revolution's history. By doing so, they send the message that they erased the story of the revolution, and erased the faces of the revolutionaries.

Reporter, Male #2
West of Mohamed Mahmoud, planning and rebuilding continues. They are working by hand to beautify the square and pave the streets around it, amid a state of calm that has long been absent from this square. From the heart of the square, Hamada al-Arabi, Nile TV.

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Israeli ex-PM Olmert gets suspended sentence for breach of trust conviction [IBA, Israel]

The Jerusalem District Court ruled that former Prime Minster Ehud Olmert will not go to prison following his conviction for breach of trust. Instead, the court fined Olmert 75 thousand shekels and gave him a one-year suspended sentence, clearing the way for his possible return to politics. Olmert was initially charged on several criminal counts, including corruption, bribery, and breach of trust. He was acquitted on most counts but was found guilty of unfairly promoting the interests of Uri Messer, a friend and business partner, when he was serving as Minister of Trade and Industry.

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Ban Ki-moon warns Iranian president against 'fiery rhetoric' at UN meeting [IBA, Israel]

One of the main issues of the 67th UN General Assembly meeting in New York this week is the Iranian nuclear program. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is already in New York. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made a point to welcome the Iranian president to the UN headquarters, but reportedly warned Ahmadinejad against fiery rhetoric. Western countries have called for the European Union to place more sanctions on Iran in an effort to curb its nuclear program. Other issues on the agenda are a special Security Council meeting on Syria, and another Palestinian Authority bid for statehood in the UN.

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Seventy killed across Syria as regime forces shell cities [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Male #1
In the latest developments on the Syrian situation, more than 70 people have been killed by al-Assad's brigades, who escalated their bloody attacks on Syrian cities using all kinds of weapons.

Presenter, Female #1
The most violent shelling was in Aleppo and the countryside of Damascus. Information was reported that Masyaf Salma in Latakia also witnessed violent mortar shelling, in addition to the deployment of armored vehicles around Khirbet Ghazaleh in Daraa.

Reporter, Female #2
The war in Syria is the most ferocious of wars, as al-Assad's regime uses lethal military machinery in its barbaric attacks, which are determined to eliminate everything in sight, from humans to stones. However, the revolutionaries' steadfastness prevailed over al-Assad's front.

Reporter, Female #2
In Damascus, the regime's forces shelled the town of al-Otaiba in the countryside of Damascus. It was noted that dozens of various shells fell. Regime forces demolished a large number of homes with the residents inside. Whoever remains, lives on piles of rubble and destruction, and of memories that were stabbed by the knives of oppression, shelling, and arrests.

Reporter, Female #2
In return, the regime's army raided the towns of al-Thiabia and Yelda, and renewed rocket shelling on the cities of Douma, Zamalka, and Yabroud, amid a campaign of raids and arrests in the city of al-Sabina.

Reporter, Female #2
The governorate of Aleppo and its countryside witnessed renewed rocket and warplane shelling on the neighborhoods of al-Maadi, al-Marji, al-Ithaa, and the towns of Kafar Halab, Hayan, Tukad, and on the neighborhood of al-Sheikh, Qasr and al-Halak. A number of victims fell, and several homes were destroyed in the neighborhood of al-Shaar in the city of Aleppo.

Reporter, Female #2
And for the 10th day, the families of Homs al-Qadeema woke up to the sound of death hitting their homes, taking their last breaths, as al-Assad's rockets violently shelled the neighborhoods of Jobar, al-Sultaniyah, and the area of Nefaira.

Reporter, Female #2
Meanwhile, rocket and missile shelling was renewed on the city of al-Rastan in the countryside of Homs, coinciding with violent clashes at the northern front between the Free army and the regime's army, following an attempt to raid the city.

Reporter, Female #2
And in the countryside of Homs, violent shelling was renewed on the city of Qusayr, which led to the killing of three martyrs, and a number of wounded. In Daraa, the town of Abtaa and the city of al-Sheikh Mesaiken were subject to violent rocket shelling and clashes between the Free army and the regime's army. Rocket shelling was also renewed on the cities of Omm Weld, al-Karat al-Sharqi, al-Taibeh, Dael, Mahaja, and the area of Wadi al-Yarmouk.

Reporter, Female #2
The regime's army raided the border area of Wadi al-Qusayr, and tanks cordoned off Khirbet Ghazaleh. On the other hand, the countryside of Deir az-Zour witnessed heavy shelling by warplanes, which was also seen in the countryside of Latakia. Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move by the Free Syrian Army, the brigades and battalions in the western countryside of Aleppo were united under the title "Al-Mutasem Billah Brigades," which includes a number of units.

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Syrian opposition calls for al-Assad's peaceful ouster' at Damascus summit [Dubai TV, UAE]

Presenter, Male #1
Under the eye of the Syrian regime, and in spite of the arrest of several of its figures, the Syrian opposition held a rare meeting in Damascus, under the theme, "The National Conference for Rescuing Syria." The meeting, which was also attended by Russian, Chinese, and Iranian diplomats, publicly called for the downfall of the Syrian regime, with all of its pillars and symbols. It also called for renouncing violence and sectarianism, as well as rejecting foreign intervention in Syria. Our correspondent, Manal al-Khatib, reports from Damascus.

Reporter, Female #1
The Syrian opposition has successfully held a general conference in Damascus, under the eyes and ears of the regime, which was accused by the National Coordination Committee of seeking to disrupt the meeting.

Guest, Male #2 (Hassan Abdel Azim, National Coordination Committee Chairman)
The various parties of the National Coordination Committee faced pressure that prompted some to withdraw from the conference. Tremendous and serious pressure was exerted on them, aiming to sabotage the conference and prevent the parties from attending. However, all of these efforts failed.

Reporter, Female #1
The conference's support from Russia, China, and Iran fell short of offering reassurances to opposition figures abroad, prompting all of them to abstain. The Ansar Party and the "Building the Syrian State" Revolutionary Bloc also boycotted the conference, despite taking part in the preparation process during the past two months.

Guest, Male #3 (Raja al-Nasser, National Coordination Committee Executive Council Member)
The "Building the Syrian State" Revolutionary Bloc was our partner. They helped us prepare and draft documents, which also carry their signatures. Just days before the meeting, they changed their mind, claiming that it wasn't time to discuss the political situation.

Reporter, Female #1
The convention attendees outlined a number of fundamental principles to rescue Syria, most notably the establishment of a modern civilian and democratic state, and the continuation of peaceful struggle until all the objectives of the revolution are attained. Members of the opposition urged the regime's army to reassume its national duty. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the three principles known as the three "No"s: No to sectarianism, no to foreign intervention, and no to the militarization of civilians. The conference took place despite all of these obstacles.

Reporter, Female #1
The implementation of its initiatives, and proposed solutions to the Syrian crisis, hinges on the overall security situation, public support, and disagreements among the world's leading powers on the right measures to help Syria emerge from its crisis, which has raged over the last year and a half.

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Dozens protest detention of relatives at Saudi prison [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Saudi security forces closed the roads surrounding a prison in a desert location in the middle of the country where relatives of detainees who are demanding their release staged a rare protest in the kingdom. Protestors said that over 100 people, among them 13 children, had gathered since Sunday in the desert surrounding the prison located in the al-Qassim area. However, the police informed them that they would be detained in case they attempted to leave the area. The protestors affirmed that they will continue their protest, despite a lack food or water as a result of the siege.

Presenter, Female #2
The case regarding political prisoners in Saudi Arabia is still developing, in the face of the regime's oppressive practices towards peaceful protest movements by the sons of the kingdom, who demand reform and citizenship rights. A sit-in by Saudis was organized near a prison in al-Qassim, in the capital al-Riyadh, to protest the detention of their relatives. They were surrounded by police, and threatened with arrest themselves. The protestors assured that their sit-in will continue in conjunction with the occasion of the Saudi National Day, until the release or trial of their relatives. They also noted the ongoing detention of their sons despite the end of the arrest period, adding that arbitrary arrests continue, based on mere suspicion.

Presenter, Female #2
Activists confirmed that thousands of individuals are detained in the kingdom without any accusation or trial. Human rights associations accuse al-Riyadh's authorities of utilizing their campaigns against those wanted on security grounds to arrest political dissidents. They also revealed the detainees' exposure to physical and psychological torture.

Presenter, Female #2
The Yemeni al-Assiri Movement itself demanded that both the Ministries of Interior and Human Rights work on discovering the fate of the Ismaili sect's leader, Hussein al-Makrami, who was kidnapped in Saudi Arabia in 2004. The movement held Saudi and Yemeni authorities responsible for the kidnapping of al-Makrami, who is approximately 85 years of age.

Presenter, Female #2
The movement was established to retake the Yemeni lands occupied by Saudi Arabia, which are Najran, Asir, and Jithan. Their actions are in the framework of the Treaty of Jeddah, which was later ignored in treaties signed between the previous regime in Yemen and the Saudi regime. The movement announced that it will follow the rights cases of all Yemeni citizens, including deportation, sectarian terrorism, and returning land to Yemen.

Presenter, Female #2
On a different front, Saudi authorities transferred religious scholar, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, to the Haier maximum security prison, amid news of his deteriorating health. The al-Awamiyah online network reported that sources close to al-Nimr's family said authorities transferred the sheikh, who was injured by regime gunfire, from the Public Security Hospital in al-Riyadh. They confirmed that he was still in bad health as a result of his hunger strike.

Presenter, Female #2
Regime forces move to suppress every populist movement. They fear that the current Arab activism will gain a foothold in Saudi Arabia, which is suffering from a struggle between the various branches of the ruling family, a fact exposed by sources close to them.

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Anti-Islam film protests spread to Hong Kong, Greece, Canada [Press TV, Iran]

Anger rages in different parts of the world against the anti-Islam American movie and blasphemous cartoons in a French magazine that insult the Prophet Muhammad. There have been fresh protests in Greece, Canada, and Hong Kong.

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UN: Israel must do more to halt abuse of Palestinian rights [Press TV, Iran]

A UN report slams Israel for not doing enough to prevent serious violations of Palestinian human rights, saying that Israel needs to do more to pursue accountability for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, adding that Israel must bring to justice those who violated Palestinian human rights during the 2009 war on the Gaza Strip. The report also lambasted Israel for sentencing a soldier who killed two Palestinian women to only 45 days in jail.