Palestinian flag raised at UNESCO marking admission as new member [BBC Arabic, UK]

Presenter, Male #1
The Palestinian president attended the first flag raising ceremony of his country at the UNESCO headquarters in the French capital Paris. This comes after the UN organization decided by majority vote to augment Palestinian representation at UNESCO to the level of an independent, sovereign country.

Reporter, Male #2
As the Palestinian national anthem played, the Palestinian flag was raised for the first time in front of the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the French capital Paris. Some believe it is a historic achievement for Palestinian diplomacy towards international recognition of a Palestinian state.

Guest, Male #3
We are happy to see everyone here attending the official ceremony to admit the Palestinian state into UNESCO as the 195th member.

Reporter, Male #2
A number of international voices welcomed Palestinians to join in the efforts towards building a new world of peace, democracy, justice, and human dignity.

Guest, Female #1
This must be a chance for all to join together around shared values and renewed ambitions for peace. At this moment, ladies and gentlemen, I welcome Palestine to UNESCO, thank you.

Reporter, Male #2
Palestine's admission into this prestigious organization as a full member seemed to be a moment full of hope for the Palestinians. President Mahmoud Abbas said it was only the beginning for his country to be admitted into the remaining UN organizations.

Guest, Male #4
There is nothing that Palestine deserves more than for UNESCO to be its gateway to the world as it rises again. For it is the birthplace of the three heavenly religions, where civilizations and cultures coexist on the holy land.

Reporter, Male #2
On October 31, a majority of members in UNESCO voted to accept the Palestinian request. Only 14 members voted against it.

Guest, Male #4
Some countries abstained from voting. We are having a dialogue with these countries. The dialogue will continue until we remove all doubts from their minds.

Reporter, Male #2
Parallel to the broad international welcome, Palestinians celebrated this move inside Palestine. It also received warm congratulations from the Hamas government in Gaza.

Guest, Male #5
This step strengthens the Palestinian entity, and we welcome it. We require the international community to break away from its silence and its completely biased position in favor of the Israeli occupation.

Reporter, Male #2
It is worth mentioning that UNESCO's acceptance of Palestine's membership has evoked anger in Israel. The United States also opposed the move and said the Palestinians should first reach a peace agreement with Israel before joining any UN organization. Anwar al-Ansi, BBC.

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Netanyahu convenes emergency meeting on settler violence [IBA, Israel]

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened an emergency meeting with senior security officials in his office today following an attack by some 50 settlers on an army base in the West Bank. Yes, the prime minister is taking this incident very seriously. Among those attending the meeting today were Defense Minister Ehud Barak, IDF Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz, OC Central Command Avi Mizrahi, Police Commissioner Yochanan Danino, and Public Security Minster Yitzhak Aharonovitch. The 20 minute incident took place earlier this morning when about 50 people broke into the Ephraim Brigade's base in the Jordan Valley, setting tires on fire and damaging vehicles with stones, bottles of paint, and by placing nails on the road. IDF troops eventually dispersed them.

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Middle East expert discusses developments in Syria [IBA, Israel]

Joining me now in the studio to discuss some of the latest developments in the Arab world is Middle East expert and Hebrew University professor, Dr. Michael Widlanski. Let's start with our neighbor Syria. Damning report from the human rights commissioner of the United Nations: 5,000 people, more than 5,000 dead, 300 of them children. She says crimes against humanity have been committed by Bashar al-Assad's regime. She wants to take it to The Hague, the International Criminal Court. Is this going to be enough to bring Assad down? Widlanski: This is not going to determine anything in Syria. What determines everything in Syria is the balance of forces on the ground. If the Sunni forces seem to have the upper hand and the Alawites have gotten depressed and discouraged, it will change.

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Residents of Jenin suffer from realities of separation wall and daily military checkpoints [Palestine TV, Ramallah]

Presenter, Male #1
The citizens of Zabouba village west of Jenin, which is surrounded by the separation wall in three directions, are living in an almost daily siege because the occupation forces set up a military checkpoint at the village's only entrance.

Reporter, Male #2
This is another chapter of suffering that the Palestinian people experience daily due to the occupation's arbitrary actions. Zabouba village, west of the city of Jenin near the Green Line, is surrounded in three directions by the separation wall, which represents annexation, and the expansion of racism. As for the forth direction, the occupation soldiers set up a military checkpoint every day at the village's main entrance.

Guest, Male #3 (Emad Jaradat, Chair of Zabouba Village Council)
In fact, since 2002, an estimated 600 donums of the village's land has been confiscated in order to build the racist separation wall. Since then, the village has been suffering from harassment almost every day under the pretext that children throw stones at the wall.

Reporter, Male #2
Students, employees, and workers in the village stand in line for hours waiting to be let through this checkpoint. The sole purpose of this measure by the occupation is to disturb and punish all residents of the village, from which the wall has robbed hundreds of donums of land.

Guest, Male #3
The wall surrounds the village from three directions. In the forth direction, military checkpoints are set up almost daily from early morning until evening, to disturb the residents and prevent students from going to their schools and universities in the province. Every day, businessmen are unable to reach their shops; employees are prevented from going to their offices.

Reporter, Male #2
Public transportation drivers who have to wait for long hours at this checkpoint describe their daily sufferings as a result of the wall.

Guest, Male #4
This is a daily practice. They delay people and impede their movement. They order people out of their cars and make them stand for long hours in the cold. When we go home at night, we sometimes see the same people waiting at the barrier. They make people wait in the cold. They don't care about anything.

Reporter, Male #2
The village of Zabouba has a population of 2,500. It is one example of the hundreds of villages and towns near the racist separation wall. Zabouba represents another chapter of suffering that the Palestinian people endure due to the occupation. The racist separation wall and military checkpoints have turned the lives of citizens into daily nightmares. The occupation always has the same excuse: to prevent attacks or aggression. From Zabouba village, west of Jenin, Nizar Samoudi, Palestine TV.

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Libyans protest against new leaders and Jalil's call to pardon Gaddafi loyalists [Al-Alam, Iran]

Presenter, Female #1
Thousands protested in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi demanding that the transitional council resign and that it accelerate delivering on its promises. Protestors gathered in the center of the city and called on the chair of the council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, to resign. This comes after he made a statement expressing his readiness to pardon members of Gaddafi's battalions.

Reporter, Female #2
Protestors' voices rose once again in Benghazi, the stronghold of the Libyan revolution that brought down Gaddafi's regime months ago. However, this time the protests are against the National Transitional Council. The demonstrators raised their tone and even condemned the council's policies. They demanded the overthrow of the council amid calls for an open civil obedience campaign.

Guest, Male #1
Our top demand is the complete downfall of the transitional council due to a number of outstanding issues. Among them is lack of transparency, constitutional issues, as well as failure to consult with the people.

Reporter, Female #2
The protests against the Libyan National Transitional Council were sparked on Amr Ibn Alas Street, where slogans were raised denouncing the tribal allegiance, which may deepen the division. The tone of the chants was also sharpened, as they accused the council of betraying the Libyan people and failing to defend their interests. The protestors even demanded the overthrow of the chairman of the transitional council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil.

Guest, Male #2
The message to Mustafa Abdul Jalil is that if you're not able, please get up and leave, just leave, leave us alone. Enough oppression and deprivation! Leave, so that someone else can come and rule and serve us. We want a president who can serve us.

Reporter, Female #2
The people's anger towards the new Libyan authorities was further fueled by Mustafa Abdul Jalil's latest statement about pardoning the former regime's battalions involved in killing Libyans during the revolution. Thousands of protestors rallied at Shajara Square and on Abdul Nasser Street in downtown Benghazi. In addition, they blocked the council's gate in the al-Hadaiq neighborhood. The new Libyan rulers find themselves in front of new challenges demanding the end of a young authority not even three months old, and the election of a new council that responds to the Libyans' demands.

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Iran rebuffs US appeal to return downed drone [Press TV, Iran]

The top story, Iran's defense minister says the US drone recently captured by Iranian forces is now its property and it's up to Tehran to decide what to do with it. Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi made the announcement following a request by Barack Obama to return the unmanned aircraft. Vahidi says Washington should apologize for violating Iran's airspace instead for asking for its drone back. Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast described Obama's request as "a forward escape tactic." He says the US appears to have forgotten that Iran's airspace was violated and spying operations were carried out.

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Violence against Bahrainis continues despite human rights report [Press TV, Iran]

Thousands of Bahraini protestors have held a protest against the country's ruling al-Khalifa family. The protest dubbed the "Festival of People's Triumph" was organized by Bahrain's largest opposition group al-Wefaq. The protestors call for an end to human rights violations by Saudi-backed Bahraini forces. They also call for the release of hundreds of political prisoners that have been detained during the country's months-long revolution. The Bahraini regime has recently intensified its crackdown on protestors. This, despite an independent report, which found the government responsible for committing gross human rights violations against protestors.

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Tunisia's new president expresses support for Bahraini revolution [Press TV, Iran]

Tunisia's newly elected President Moncef Marzouki has voiced his country's support for the revolution in Bahrain. Marzouki made the remarks during a protest outside the Bahraini embassy in Tunis. He hoped that one day the real representatives of the Bahraini people would take over the Bahraini mission. Tunisia was the first Arab country to be swept by a popular uprising which led to the downfall of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his dictatorship earlier this year. The so-called "Arab Spring," which began in Tunisia, has produced ripple effects in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain.

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Protestors want Yemen to be 'cleansed' of old regime's officials [Press TV, Iran]

In Yemen, anti-regime protestors have taken to the streets of the flashpoint city of Taiz. They have protested against the new government formed by the opposition and Ali Abdullah Saleh's loyalists. Protestors are angry at the sharing of power with regime loyalists. They hold them responsible for the ongoing deadly crackdown on anti-regime demonstrators. They want Saleh and his loyalists to be prosecuted in international courts. The protestors also want Yemen to be cleansed of the old regime's officials.

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Thirty-eight Syrians killed on third day of 'dignity strike' [Future TV, Lebanon]

Presenter, Female #1
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 38 people were killed today by the regime forces' gunfire. Most of the victims were killed in Idlib. This news comes as the open strike called for by the opposition entered its third day. In response, Syrian security forces launched a series of military operations across several Syrian cities and villages.

Reporter, Female #2
Even the sanctity of death has not stopped the gunfire of Assad's brigades. A new massacre was committed today by Syrian security forces, who opened fire directly at a group of mourners, killing and injuring dozens, especially in the city of Nawa in Huran and the town of Kifar Yahmul in Idlib. The third day of the "Dignity Strike" was a bloody one. Assad's brigades launched bloody military operations across various regions, killing dozens of Syrians and injuring dozens more. Anti-regime residents across most Syrian cities and towns closed their businesses, kept their children home from school, and didn't show up for work at government institutions as part of the open strike. In response, Assad's brigades carried out acts of vandalism and destruction targeting local markets in a bid to terrorize the residents and force them to end their strike, amid heavy gunfire and random sweeps.

Guest, Male #1, over loudspeaker
To the residents, open your shops. Otherwise we have no choice but to break the locks.

Reporter, Female #2
Syrian security forces failed to prevent residents across various regions from holding their daily demonstrations demanding the downfall of the regime. The villages of Daraa and Idlib received more than their share of security operations, which the opposition described as quote "heinous and savage." Incoming reports confirmed that members of the Free Syrian Army intervened to defend the residents of Ma'arat al-Numan and clashed with Assad's brigades. In response, Assad's brigades launched fierce artillery shelling, dropped bombs, and fired live ammunition in the area. Amid the bloody operation in Idlib Province, a group of soldiers announced their defection from the Syrian army. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that a group of army defectors attacked a security convoy on the road from Idlib to Bab al-Hawa, killing several Syrian security officers. Assad's brigades seemed unable to discriminate between children and adults during its wide-scale attacks on Homs. Another child, named Hassan Hakem al-Dahab, was added to the list of victims. Al-Dahab was killed today by live bullets in the Baba Amro neighborhood.Also in Homs, the sounds of gunfire and explosions were heard near Cairo Street, al-Zir Square, Bab al-Sibaa neighborhood, and other areas. Meanwhile, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abed al-Rahman, said that massacres are being committed by the regime on a daily basis in Homs in a bid to quell the revolution there. Amid this tense situation, a notable security development has emerged. A gas pipeline was bombed near the village of al-Rustan of Homs in central Syria. This is the fourth such attack on the country's oil and gas infrastructure since the spark of anti-Assad regime protests last March. Syrian SANA news agency pointed the finger at what it described as an "armed terrorist group." However, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights denied any link between the revolutionaries or defectors and the pipeline attack.

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Egypt political groups prepare for second round of elections [Al Jazeera, Qatar]

Presenter, Male #1
Egyptian political parties are preparing to enter the second round of elections. One hundred and eighty parliamentary seats are open in this round. Rival parties are trying to learn from their experience in the first round. Each party is trying to deal with the weaknesses in its electoral performance and reinforce its strengths.

Reporter, Male #2
Rival political parties are racing with time to reorganize their masses before the second round of elections begin. Parties in the Egyptian Bloc redrew the roadmap of its coalitions for the individual seats so that its candidates don't compete with candidates with similar political orientations. It is relying on a wider alliance with some parties of the youth of the revolution.

Guest, Male #3,
We named individual candidates in various constituencies. Our candidates are running some constituencies have our candidates on the ballot, some don't. We are trying to work out electoral alliances with other parties in well-known places so that these parties can receives votes from the Egyptian Bloc, and by the same token vote for our electoral lists or candidates.

Reporter, Male #1
The Wafd Party, which performed poorly in the first round, has attributed its shortcomings to the extensive religious ad campaign run by its Islamist rivals. The Wafd Party also acknowledged making mistakes, which it says it will avoid in the next round.

Guest, Male #4 (Abed al-Aziz al-Nahas, Member of Wafd Party's High Commission)
Our candidates' ad campaigns were not as extensive. This will not be a problem in the second and third rounds, as we plan to hold intensive conventions with the participation of residents. Another point has to do with the candidate's failure in taking to the streets to intensify their mobilization.

Reporter, Male #2
The major victory achieved by the Freedom and Justice Party in the first round has prompted some of the party's leaders to warn against relaxing in the next round, as the battle has not yet ended.

Guest, Male #5 (Adel Ahmad, Assistant to Secretary General of the Freedom and Justice Party)
We are still in the midst of a full mobilization with all parties on the scene. I'm talking about the Democratic Alliance of the Freedom and Justice Party. We are still in a state of alert until the end of third round of runoff elections. We will not relax, and we will continue to reach out to the people. We are facing strong competitors so we must not relax and do everything in our capacity to reach out to voters who will ultimately decide the winner.

Reporter, Male #2
As the launch of the third round of elections approaches, the parties are intensifying their efforts to win the biggest piece of the parliamentary cake. The party who wins the majority under this chamber will have the final word in charting the country's public polices for several years to come. Ahmad al-Kilani, al-Jazeera, Cairo.