(Mosaic Video Alert: April 29, 2011) Syrian television releases its “Paltalk Leaks,” exposing the conspirators behind the Syrian revolution. The state-run channel reports that satellite phones, computers, and cameras were smuggled into Syria with the intention of fabricating news and spreading lies to the media about the protests in Syria.

The BBC reports from Libya tonight, where a NATO official said that Gaddafi's loyalist forces planted landmines in Misurata’s port to prevent humanitarian aid from reaching the city. Medical sources reported that 12 people were killed in Misurata in a shelling by Gaddafi forces. Confrontations between the rivaling forces also took place near the Libya-Tunisian border. After Gaddafi forces shelled the Tunisian border town of Dhiba, Tunisian authorities expressed concern over what was considered a “violation of the sanctity of Tunisian soil.”

Al-Alam reports that thousands of Yemenis demonstrated in the capital Sana'a on the “Day of Loyalty to Martyrs” to announce their rejection of the Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative and demand the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. As the clampdown on these protests continues in Yemen, the Joint Meeting Parties warned they would not sign the Gulf agreement in Riyadh if the regime did not protect the peaceful protestors. Meanwhile, thousands of Saleh supporters held separate marches in Sana’a, as part of the “Friday of Constitutional Legitimacy.”

To mark the “Friday of Rage,” protestors throughout Syria took to the streets in solidarity with the city of Daraa, which is still under siege by the Syrian Republican Guard. After weeks of protests in Syria, al-Jazeera reports that today’s are particularly significant because the Muslim Brotherhood has openly joined the protest movement and over 200 members of the Ba’ath Party have submitted their resignations.

Tonight Syria TV relases the Paltalk Leakes, exposing exposing conspirators behind the Syrian revolution. The state run station reports that satellite phones, computers, and cameras were smuggled into Syria with the intention of fabricating news and spreading lies to the media about protests in Syria.

At least 16 people were killed in Morocco yesterday after a café was bombed in the city of Marrakech. The café is located in Djemma el-Fna Square, one of the top ten tourist destinations in the world. Moroccan authorities have launched an investigation to identify the perpetrators. Dubai TV reports that while the government’s spokesman said the authorities will pursue all leads, he hinted that al-Qaeda might be responsible for the bombing.

Today, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad announced the formation of a new government to be headed by Adel Safar. Current Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem and Minister of Defense Ali Habib will remain in their posts. The change will mostly affect the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Information, and the Ministry of Finance. According to the BBC, Syrian TV reported that President al-Assad also decided to release all those detained in connection to the latest events with the exception of those who committed crimes “against the homeland and the citizen.”

Al-Jazeera reports on the latest developments in Libya, where Gaddafi forces killed 23 people in the western city of Misurata. A spokesman for the revolutionaries said that most of the victims were killed while they were in line at a bakery to buy bread. The revolutionaries warned of a “massacre” in Misurata if NATO does not intervene by force to protect civilians from more shelling by Gaddafi’s battalions. 

The Bahraini Ministry of Justice has filed lawsuits to disband the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society and the Islamic Action Association, the two main opposition groups in Bahrain. Al-Alam reports that the February 14th Revolutionary Youth Coalition has called for protests in an attempt to break the siege imposed on the Suliamaniyah medical center. The coalition also called for massive sit-ins in front of the local mosques after Friday prayer. Meanwhile, joint Saudi-Bahraini forces have stormed the villages of Karizakan and Beni Jamra, fired tear gas at residents, and cut off the villages’ major roads.

Syria TV reports that a five-year-old girl in occupied Palestine was wounded when an Israeli settler hit her with his car in the West Bank town of Hebron. She was hit while playing near her home and was immediately taken to the hospital.

Today marks the 36th anniversary of the attack on a bus in Ain el-Remmaneh, considered to be the first spark of the Lebanese civil war. To commemorate the day, a group of youths are running a free bus service from Dawra to Hamra. One organizer told New TV that the free transportation service was to “allow people to tell us about their experiences and memories of the war,” so that the violent war may be “remembered but never repeated.”

Al-Jazeera reports from the coastal Syrian city of Banias, where women activists organized a protest demanding the release of hundreds of people arrested yesterday by security forces in Baida. According to the Syrian Human Rights Observatory, approximately 350 women were arrested. Eyewitnesses say that the city has been besieged by tanks and is suffering a food and fuel shortage.

The BBC reports that an international contact group on Libya met in the Qatari capital of Doha and has demanded that Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi step down. Participants of the meeting also stipulated that Gaddafi's troops withdraw from occupied cities. The British government faced criticism for allowing Libya's former Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa, who fled to Britain last month, to leave the country to attend the international contact group meeting.

Several more people were killed today in clashes between Yemeni security forces and the "Youth of the Revolution" in the cities of Sana’a and Aden. Al-Alam reports that throughout Yemen, demonstrators chanted slogans demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh immediately step down and be prosecuted. They also publicly rejected the initiative proposed by the Gulf Cooperation Council because it excludes taking legal action against Saleh and does not ensure his removal from office until the next presidential election in 2013.

Dubai TV reports that the Egyptian state prosecutor has ordered the detention of former President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons for 15 days, pending an investigation into allegations of corruption and inciting the murder of protestors. While Gamal and Alaa Mubarak were taken to Tora Prison in Cairo, Hosni Mubarak was taken to the hospital yesterday after suffering from a heart attack during questioning.

Bahraini authorities have ordered the deportation of a group of Lebanese citizens to occur within the week, according to Future TV. The Lebanese ambassador to Bahrain, Aziz al-Qazi, announced that 19 Lebanese citizens have been told to leave Bahrain without being given a reason. Among them is Anis Hamdan, the son of former Lebanese ambassador Zuheir Hamdan, who has lived in Bahrain for six years.

Syria TV reports today from the West Bank, where Israeli occupation forces continue the siege on Orda village, east of Nablus, after claiming the village was a closed military zone. According to the report, occupation forces imposed a curfew, searched a number of homes, and arrested a young Palestinian and his brother. Syria TV also interviews the Freedom Flotilla II Coalition, who say they will sail to Gaza as scheduled in mid-May despite continued threats from Israel.

Today on Mosaic, New TV reports on the Israeli air strikes in Gaza that targeted the neighborhoods of al-Shuja'eiya and al-Zaitoun and killed nine people, including several children. The public held funerals for the victims on what the government called the "day of mourning their souls." The mourners believe that Israel “carefully and deliberately” chose the timing of the attacks to occur while the world is preoccupied with the revolutions occurring throughout the Arab world.

Al-Jazeera reports that French fighter jets struck an air force base in central Libya early this morning. International coalition forces are continuing their military operations in the capital Tripoli for the fifth consecutive day. Colonel Gaddafi’s key military bases are located in Tajura, an eastern suburb of the capital that has been bombed three times since the beginning of coalition military operations. However, many political observers believe that the revolutionaries lack the necessary equipment and organization to fully benefit from the coalition air strikes and achieve a strategic victory in the eastern regions.

In Dubai, police foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of 16,000 firearms from Turkey to Yemen that was valued at 16 million Dirhams, the equivalent of two million dollars. During a press conference, the commander-in-chief of the Dubai police, Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, said that six people, including one Turkish citizen have been arrested. The seizure of the arms shipment is being hailed as a 'great accomplishment' by the Dubai police department.

Al-Alam reports from Yemen, where an army unit supporting anti-government protestors clashed with Republican Guard forces loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Medical sources and eyewitnesses said that three military officers were injured in the clashes that took place this morning. In a massive protest in the capital Sana'a, Yemenis demanded the downfall Saleh's regime, waved the Yemeni and Palestinian flag, and carried banners that read "Palestine is in our hearts." 

In Syria, 20,000 protestors attended the funeral for victims of yesterday’s violent clashes in Dara’a. Eyewitnesses say that Syrian security forces encircled al-Omari mosque on Wednesday at dawn before storming the mosque and opening fire on the people inside. According to reports, at least six people died and several others were injured. The BBC reports that Syrian state TV blames an “armed gang” for the incidents. The state-run media accused Arab and foreign satellite television channels of fabricating news.

Well, it has been a week since Obama gave his historical speech to the Muslim world in the Mother of the World (Um Al Dunya) in Egypt. Now that the sand has settled and reactions have tempered, it is fair to say that although there was alot of optimism and hype surrounding his landmark speech, not much is going to change. While Muslims can appreciate President Obama for recognizing Islamic achievement throughout history and the need to re-engage based on mutual respect, it will be his actions that will ultimately be judged--particularly concerning the Arab-Israeli/Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

Israel is continuing its settlements and its policy of displacement. On today's Mosaic, Syria TV reports that a Palestinian man was forced to demolish his home with his own hands so that he would be spared the cost of having to pay for an Israeli bulldozer to do it. Israeli settlers are erecting Obama huts to protest President Obama's calling for a two-state solution and a halt to settlement building. Meanwhile, the Palestinians continue to bicker among themselves over who has the right to represent a people who are becoming more impoverished and more hopeless with every passing day. Arab leaders continue to prove their ineffectiveness as they watch from the sidelines waiting for their cue from Washington, or better yet, Tel Aviv.

Well so much for big talk and small action!