Presenter, Female #1
The US has called on the Israelis and the Palestinians to look beyond yesterday’s incident, in which 4 Israeli settlers were killed in the West Bank, urging them to focus on the peace efforts. US Special Mideast Envoy, George Mitchell, expressed confidence that they will reach an acceptable solution for all sides. The direct talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis are set to begin on September 2nd at the US State Department’s headquarters in Washington D.C.

Reporter, Male #1
The optimistic smile for a lasting peace settlement in the Middle East was easily spotted on the face of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton met with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in Washington hours before meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The US wants the direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, which have been frozen for nearly 2 years, to be celebratory, and attended by the Jordanians and the Egyptians who signed peace agreements with Israel. It seems that Washington is mobilizing Arab efforts in an attempt to ensure the success of the negotiations.

Guest, Female #2 (US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton)
I’ve invited Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas to meet on September 2nd in Washington, D.C. to re-launch the negotiations aimed at reaching a solution on all final-status issues, which we believe will be completed within one year.

Reporter, Male #1
However, these settlements, in which the Israeli authorities’ partial and temporary freeze is due to expire at the end of the month, continue to overshadow the negotiations. This is what this senior Palestinian official had to say.

Guest, Male #2 (Nabil Shaath, PA Minister of Foreign Affairs)
We will continue the talks pending Israel’s decision on the settlement freeze. If Israel complies with the settlement freeze, we will continue the talks despite this latest incident or others. However, if it doesn’t comply, we will withdraw from the talks.

Reporter, Male #1
This fear of withdrawing from the talks was responsible for the failure of previous talks, especially when the two sides of the conflict refuse to offer concessions on final-status issues, such as the refugees, the borders, and Jerusalem. Mohammad Taha, BBC.

A deadly terrorist shooting near Kiryat Arba left four Israelis dead. News of the murders reached Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aboard the plane taking him to Washington for the launch of the direct peace talks with the Palestinians. Netanyahu decided to remain in the United States and go ahead with the talks.

Presenter, Female #1
Hundreds of supporters from leftist Palestinian parties and factions demonstrated at the Manara Square in Ramallah in protest at the launch of direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. The protestors held banners denouncing the direct talks, which they say are being held under Israeli and US terms.

Presenter, Male #1
The protestors also condemned what they referred to as the “blatant aggression on public freedoms.” This comes a few days after security agencies stormed a conference organized by these same factions.

Presenter, Female #1
Arab masses everywhere are watching the launch of the new round of talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. They expressed mixed reactions to its results and the ceiling of expectations.

Presenter, Male #1
We gathered some reactions and expectations from the streets of Cairo and Amman.

Guest, Male #2
The Zionist enemy wants to hold direct talks in order to gain new grounds, or in order to ease some of the pressure it faces from Arab nations and the international community, if there is such a pressure.

Guest, Male #3
We have always held talks but they’ve never produced anything new. The only tangible results on the ground were made possible by the resistance, which helped achieve victory for the Palestinian plight. If the objective of the negotiations is to establish a Palestinian state, then there’s no need for such talks as the resistance helped achieve that in Gaza.This was made possible by the resistance and not the negotiations.

Guest, Male #4
The idea of direct talks is more serious and effective than the indirect talks. The Arab world is ready to engage in direct talks after hosting indirect talks for a long time. I believe there’s no way out but to reach a solution.

Guest, Male #5
The talks are useless. We have heard about talks all of our lives. Meanwhile, the Israelis continue to occupy, build and expand the settlements. They want to take over all of Palestine. There are no benefits to gain from such talks.

Guest, Male #6
I don’t have an optimistic view on these negotiations. The Arabs have engaged in talks for a long time but they have not yet produced any tangible results on the ground. I don’t have any optimistic feeling toward these talks.

Guest, Male #7
Since the early days of the Prophet, peace and prayers be upon him, the Jews have been known for their procrastination. They gave the Prophet a hard time. Do you expect us to defeat them? They gave the Prophet a hard time. God says they are the most cursed nation.

Presenter, Female # 1
Meanwhile, the Jewish Settlement Council in the West Bank announced its intention to resume the construction of settlements after the burial of the 4 settlers killed last night in the Hebron attack.

Presenter, Male #1
Officials at the settlement council said that the settlement freeze ended with the launch of the attack. They added that the council will resume construction in West Bank settlements today at 6 PM, following the burial of the 4 settlers who were killed last night in the armed attack, which was claimed by the Qassam Brigade, the military wing of Hamas.

Presenter, Female #1
The settlement council also called on all settlers to organize festivals in all West Bank settlements in order to announce the resumption of settlement activities anywhere deemed necessary in West Bank territories.

Reporter, Female #2
Hours before the official announcement of the launch of direct talks in Washington was made, all eyes were refocused on the West Bank. The city of Hebron, not far from the village of Beni Na’im, was the scene of a shooting targeting an Israeli car. Four Israeli settlers from the settlement of Beit Hagai were killed in the attack. The attackers fled the scene, leaving behind a stormy wave of reactions. The Israeli occupation forces, which were heavily deployed in the area, conducted major sweeps in pursuit of the attackers. The occupation forces closed the entrances of Beni Na’im and imposed a curfew on its residents.

Guest, Male #8 (Gabi Ashkenazi, Israeli Army’s Chief of Staff)
We are mobilizing in different directions since the launch of the operation. We will continue our efforts until we capture the terrorists responsible for the attack. I will not go into the details but I assure you that the Israeli army and other security agencies are actively carrying out their mission.

Reporter, Female #2
The settlers’ reaction came quickly, as they tried to storm the village but were prevented by the Israeli army. Not far from the scene of the attack, the settlers, who are known to be the most far-right and radical elements in the West Bank, chanted slogans against the Palestinians and vowed to retaliate. On the other hand, the attack has puzzled the Palestinian authority.

Guest, Male #9 (Hani al-Masri, a political analyst)
The attack will tactically help the Israeli government, which has always claimed that the Palestinians are the ones who don’t want peace. Having said that, any attempt to disregard Palestinian rights or the Palestinian plight will lead to various responses, which are not necessarily the right decisions.

Reporter, Female #2
Many are opposed to the resumption of peace talks. Several Palestinian factions have opposed the resumption of direct talks with Israel. Hamas and the Islamic Jihad welcomed the attack in Hebron.

Guest, Male #10 (Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas Spokesman)
The heroic Qassam operation in Hebron is part of a normal response to Israeli criminal acts, and yet another episode of the heroic actions waged against Israeli crimes.The operation is not linked, in any way, to the negotiations between the Israeli occupation and the Fatah authority. There’s is no connection in terms of the timing of the attack and these negotiations.

Reporter, Female #2
After the settlement issue was the key factor impeding the progress of the negotiations, Israel will try to refocus the attention on the security issue. It’s not important that the operation occurred in an area under Israeli control. No one will remember the settlers and their acts of aggression. At least not until the footage showing the Israelis burying their dead settlers disappears. Shirin Abu Akela, al-Jazeera, occupied Ramallah.

Presenter, Female #1
A seven-year-long war and one million dead as a result. On the first of September, Iraqis stored these events in their memories. Today, they embark on a new phase in Baghdad’s history as American President Barack Obama announces the end of the US combat operation in Iraq. Obama urged the Iraqis to quickly form their government in order to tackle the next challenge in Afghanistan. He confirmed that his country will begin a gradual transitional phase to handover security responsibilities to Afghan security forces in August, 2011. From Washington, Emile Barroudi.

Reporter, Male # 1
President Barack Obama avoided announcing an American victory from the White House, as reason to justify the on-schedule withdrawal of his country’s combat forces from Iraq. Rather, he painted the issue as a mere transfer of security responsibilities from the US to the Iraqi forces.

Guest, Male # 2 (Barack Obama, American president)
“So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.”

Guest, Male # 3 (Hussain Abdul Hussain, Chatham House)
President Obama’s address this evening is an announcement of his departure from former President George Bush’s policy. It is also an announcement that the war in Iraq has become part of American policy around the world, and in the US. It is no longer part of a large, semi-imaginary worldwide war on terror.

Reporter, Male # 1
Through the American president’s reminder of the approaching US withdrawal date from Afghanistan, he hinted that he will adopt the Iraqi withdrawal scenario on the Afghan scene.

Guest, Male # 2 (Barack Obama, American president)
“That's why we are training Afghan Security Forces and supporting a political resolution to Afghanistan's problems. And, next July, we will begin a transition to Afghan responsibility.”

Guest, Male # 3 (Hussain Abdul Hussain, Chatham House)
The same general in charge of completing the reduction of forces in Iraq, and success in Iraq, General David Petraeus, is also leading the operations in Afghanistan today. I believe that the main idea is to repeat the same scenario, and attempt to achieve victory in Afghanistan.

Reporter, Male # 1
It is clear that the American president does not wish to keep US forces hostage to any resistance movement in the countries in which they are present. So its temporary stay becomes a continuous sore point, rendering its presence impossible. Emile Barroudi, Dubai TV, Washington.

Presenter, Female #1
Baghdad is moving from Operation Iraqi Freedom, which brought war to the country 7 years ago, to The New Dawn phase. Today, it will inaugurate the post-war period. The Iraqi capital will shortly witness the handover ceremony for the new mission of the remaining US forces in Iraq. American Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates will attend the ceremony. Gates confirmed that his country will no longer be in a state of war with Iraq. Security requires political stability, which is what Iraqis have not yet accomplished as the formation of the Iraqi government continues to be obstructed. As of today, Iraqi forces will be responsible for maintaining security in Iraq, an experiment that began with the Iraqi army, which is estimated at 130,000 members, consisting of 114 trained and equipped regiments. Nearly 50,000 American soldiers will stay in Iraq an additional year to train and advise Iraqi security forces. The end of the American combat operation in Iraq will grant President Barack Obama’s administration the opportunity to focus its efforts on the war in Afghanistan. A war that keeps on witnessing an increase in the number of US casualties in confrontations with the Taliban. Since Afghanistan’s occupation began in 2001, 2010 has been the bloodiest year. 323 US soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the year. And this year’s overall death toll of foreign troops in Afghanistan stands at 490.

After the deaths of nearly four and a half thousand American soldiers and up to a million Iraqis, US President Barack Obama has announced the end of American combat mission in Iraq. So what’s next? Is it really the end? Our Press TV correspondent in Washington reports that the US involvement in Iraq is far from over.

Presenter, Female #1
The Pakistani army has said that at least 55 armed individuals and their relatives were killed in an air raid that was carried out by Pakistani planes on tribal areas in the northwestern part of the country. A Pakistani security official announced that the security forces waged a successful operation against militants in Tirah valley, in the Khyber region. It led to the death of dozens of armed individuals and the destruction of their hideouts. The official confirmed that some of the dead include the militants’ relatives, who fled the army’s attacks in Swat valley. In an unrelated development, as the flood refugees begin to return home, there has been an increase in the criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis, and a rise in complaints over the slow relief efforts and the shortage in aid, medicine and food.

Reporter, Male # 1
The Pakistani government has been working non-stop for the last few days to fill the holes caused by the floods in one of the main dykes of the Sindh River, which runs parallel to the city of Thatta. In turn, preventing a real catastrophe in the city.


Guest, Male # 2
After 72 hours of work, we succeeded in filling a hole, and removing the danger from the city of Thatta. We are currently reviewing the irrigation system. We are also working on filling the small holes and on reinforcing the dykes.

Reporter, Male # 1
Around the clock, these workers waged a battle against time, in order to face the flood waters and fill the holes that were caused by the high water pressure. After the Pakistani authorities succeeded in filling the hole that was caused by flood waters in one of the protective dykes that runs parallel to the city of Thatta, the danger has faded away from the city and its suburbs. And the residents can now return home. Following weeks of homelessness that felt like years, Muhammad Aazam, and his 33-member family, returns home. They have lived in their house for decades. Nothing compares to one’s home and our memories in it, regardless of whether they are bitter or sweet.

Guest, Male # 3 (Muhammad Aazam, Thatta resident)
For 15 days, we lived without shelter, and the authorities did not care. When we found out that the danger of the floods had faded, we decided to return to our houses.

Reporter, Male # 1
Life is back to normal in the city of Thatta. Crowds of refugees went back home. However, millions of others are still without shelter, waiting for the day in which they can also return home. Abdel Rahman el-Zaini, al-Arabiya, Thatta, Singh Valley.

Presenter, Female #1
For the 8th consecutive day, battles raged in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, between the Shabab group and government forces, backed by African peacekeeping troops.Four Ugandan soldiers from the African Union’s peacekeeping forces in Somalia were killed by a mortar bomb that fell on their site. Within this context, Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed called on the international community to lend his government a helping hand, in order to save it from the danger that al-Qaeda poses.

Reporter, Male #1
Four Ugandan soldiers from the African peacekeeping troops in Somalia were killed by a mortar bomb launched at an African forces site in Mogadishu, as battles between al-Shabab and government forces, backed by African troops, continue. These developments prompted Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed to call on the international community to provide urgent support to Somalia’s transitional federal government. The battles entered their eighth consecutive day with wide-scale attacks launched by Islamist insurgents on the transitional federal government in the capital. Since the beginning of the campaign to eradicate the insurgents on August 23rd, the Somali al-Shabab insurgents, who are loyal to al-Qaeda and control the biggest part of south central Somalia, have been advancing toward the parliament building, near the presidential palace, Villa Somalia. The insurgents are threatening to cut off the Mecca al-Mukarram Street, which is a strategic center that is still controlled by the African Union troops and Somalia’s transitional federal government. The street connects the airport, port and presidential palace. Battles between the two sides broke out near this street, after at least 6 people were killed in the continuous battles that started on Sunday. The Somalia government, which is backed by 6,000 Ugandan and Burundi soldiers from the African Union forces, only controls a limited number of neighborhoods, close to the coast, in the city. Since the African Union forces spread in Mogadishu in 2007, they have lost dozens of soldiers, who died in suicide attacks or in the semi-daily attacks of the Shabab insurgents.

Presenter, Male #1
We’ve witnessed food poisoning, vomiting and a temperature rise. 75% of Ramadan drinks are contaminated with bacteria. My colleague Salma al-Hajj reports.

Reporter, Female #1
The issue of Ramadan drinks is being documented by the relevant ministries. They estimate that 75% of the drinks consumed by the citizens are heavily contaminated with bacteria.So what are the causes?

Guest, Male #2
We tested 59 samples and found that the source of bacteria is the water. Yes, 59 samples.

Reporter, Female #1
And how many contaminated cases are there?

Guest, Male #2 (Fouad Fleifel, Head of the Consumer Protection Department)
The percentage of contamination has now almost reached 75%. Out of these contaminated drinks, about 50% are the jallab and licorice drinks, and 25% are all other juices. The various administrations and experts should be alerted of the source of the water. In addition, consumers should be warned about buying these kinds of drinks, or only buy them from a trusted source.

Guest, Male #3 (Dr. Ali Rida, digestive system specialist)
Currently, 40% of the patients who are visiting the emergency room are there due to diarrhea, and vomiting, which implies food poisoning. This mostly happens after the Iftar meal, and of course, some of them get sick after eating. Sometimes the water is contaminated, so it is difficult to point to the main cause. But in most common cases, they either get sick from eating sweets that are stuffed with cream, or from drinking juice. Often times, these juices are either not properly refrigerated or are exposed to the sun in an environment that fosters bacteria growth.


** Mosaic News is produced by Jamal Dajani. Contact: mosaicnews{at}linktv{dot}org