Presenter, Female #1
In Washington, direct talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis were officially announced in a ceremonial gathering that was attended by the Israeli prime minister, the Palestinian president, the Egyptian president, and the Jordanian monarch, along with president Obama.

Presenter, Male #1
President Mahmud Abbas called on the Israelis to freeze all settlement activities, saying that it’s possible to reach a solution within one year. On the other hand, Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Palestinian president to achieve what he described as a ‘historic compromise,’ avoiding any reference to a Palestinian state.

Presenter, Female #1
Mohammad al-Alami reports on the atmosphere surrounding the launch of direct talks.

Reporter, Male #2
After holding bilateral talks with each of his 4 guests, it was his turn to pose for a historic picture, reflecting on moments of peace made possible by Sadat, King Hussein, Begin, and Rabin.

Guest, Male #3 (US President Barack Obama)
Now, like each of them, we must ask ourselves: “Do we have the wisdom and courage to walk on the path to peace?”

Reporter, Male #2
The Egyptian president, who said that he experienced war and peace, offered simple advice to the Israelis.

Guest, Male #3 (Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak)
I tell the Israelis to seize this opportunity and not to let it out of their hands. Make comprehensive peace your goal, and extend your hand to meet the Arab hand that is extended for peace.

Reporter, Male #2
However, this Arab hand, which has been extended for years, was not enough to bring back Jerusalem or the refugees, or freeze the settlement activities. This advice did not prevent the Israeli prime minister from talking about the security issue.

Guest, Male #4 (Israeli Prime Minster, Benjamin Netanyahu)
I will not let the terrorists block our path to peace, but as these events underscore once again, that peace must be anchored in security.

Reporter, Male #2
The Palestinian president, who condemned the attacks in Hebron and Ramallah, said that he doesn’t want any drop of blood to be shed by the Israelis or the Palestinians, and that he doesn’t want anything short of peace.

Guest, Male #5 (Palestinian President, Mahmud Abbas)
Let’s sign an agreement, a final agreement, for peace and put a final end to a very long period of struggle.

Reporter, Male #2
However, the benchmarks for peace have not changed much since the Madrid Conference or since the Ramadan Iftar was held at the White House. Forging this type of peace requires a strong US presidency, moderate Israeli politicians, as well as a unified and powerful Palestinian leadership. Factors that seem to be missing in this latest attempt to forge a stubborn peace settlement in the Middle East region. Mohammad al-Alami, al-Jazeera, Washington.

Presenter, Male #1
Mohammad al-Alami, from Washington, will stay with us.

Presenter, Female #1
Mohammad, what is going on behind the scenes regarding the direct talks?

Guest, Male #6 (Al-Jazeera Correspondent in Washington, Mohammad al-Alami)
Many questions are being raised. Is the Israeli prime minister serious? Does he have, theoretically speaking to say the least, what it takes to forge a real peace deal? He is left alone, torn between retreating leftists and his government’s Kadima coalition. Some believe that the Israeli prime minister wants to take part in the talks in order to portray himself as a man of peace. The aim is to uphold his friendship with the US in order to target Iran. The direct talks will formally open in two hours. All these fiery speeches that were made yesterday will be put up to the test. Is peace, from the standpoint of the Israeli prime minister, similar to that lobbied for by the Palestinians, the Arabs or even the Americans?

Guest, Male #7
I believe that the talks must move forward but I don’t think they will help end the conflict. The reason has to do with the makeup of our government, which is formed in a strange way. The prime minister usually endures pressure from the right-wing. I don’t think that any resolutions will be made soon, as this issue requires many years to solve.

Guest, Male #8
There will never be peace. Both sides don’t want to offer concessions. No one from either side has the ability to make decisions. There are no leaders on either side who can forge peace.

Guest, Female #2
I hope that the talks will lead to peace, after these long years. We must believe in that. Otherwise, we will not continue to exist in this region.

Guest, Male #9
I’m optimistic. I’m sure that the talks will produce positive results, and that peace will follow quickly.

Guest, Male #10
This is a waste of time. First, the Palestinians must elect a leader who we could talk to. They are still divided.

Guest, Female #3
To my knowledge and idea, they don’t like us and they don’t trust us. By the same token, we don’t trust them either. Therefore, peace will not be possible.

Presenter, Male #1
Ever since Israel rejected negotiating with the Palestinians, unless within a joint Jordanian delegation, as in the Madrid Conference of 1991, and until today, the negotiations had been constantly going through different rounds, in which positions were altered. That changed when the establishment of a Palestinian state became a recognizable issue. But the dispute lies in the details. The following report highlights the main negotiations in which the right to decide the Palestinian fate was discussed with Israeli delegations.

Reporter, Male # 2
For the very first time, in 2000, at Camp David, the right to determine the fate of the Palestinians was officially proposed in negotiations with Israel. The two sides agreed to the principle of establishing an independent Palestinian state.However, the disagreement revolved around the percentage of land exchange, Israel’s annexation of Palestinian land, and sovereignty over the Noble Sanctuary. In addition to details related to the refugees. This is what the map of the proposals that the two sides did not agree on looks like. It shows the proposed Palestinian state chopped into different regions, and separated by settlements and regions under Israeli sovereignty. Four months after the Camp David discussions ended, and during the transitional period between the presidencies of Clinton and George Bush in December, 2000, the American president came back with a solution that was rejected by both sides. Clinton proposed that the Palestinian state include 94-96 percent of the territories of the West Bank, and 100 percent of Gaza’s territories. In addition to proposing a passageway between the West Bank and Gaza, and a land exchange. Clinton proposed a solution for Jerusalem, leaving Arab neighborhoods to the Palestinians and the Jewish neighborhoods to the Hebrew state, while leaving negotiations over the details for a later date. Clinton also proposed to guarantee the refugees’ right of return to the Palestinian state, which would be established without ruling out that Israel could accept the return of a specific number of refugees. Clinton’s proposal came as Israel was embarking on legislative elections, and the American president was proposing a solution only one month before his departure from the White House. The Palestinians saw the proposal as unclear, and thought that there was not enough time to negotiate before the end of Clinton’s term. Then, 8 years passed before the Annapolis Conference was held, in which the two sides conducted nearly 300 negotiation sessions. Olmert proposed to return 100 percent of the territories that were occupied in 1967. Israel would take 6.5 percent of the West Bank, and in return would offer 6 percent of Israel’s territory. In addition to proposing a passage that would connect Gaza to the West Bank, through Israel. This time, the negotiations were interrupted by Israel’s war on Gaza in December, 2008, and Olmert resigned from his post over corruption charges, and the negotiations were not resumed. Hani Abou Ayash, al-Arabiya.

In response to last night's murders, the Yasha settlers council has announced that from its point of view the building moratorium in the settlements ends this evening at six pm. They say the constructing will begin in three locations a kindergarten in Kdumim, a sports center in Adam and a resident in Beit Hagai near the home of the murder family there.

Presenter, Female # 1
Yesterday, American forces began the final stage of its military presence in Iraq, following its official announcement of the end of combat operations. A new commander of the American forces took over from General Ray Odierno as the mission changed to a “train and advise” assignment. The handover ceremony took place in the al-Nasr base, west of the Iraqi capital. Our reporter in Iraq, Rula al-Ayoubi, said that the ceremony took place without much commotion for the Iraqi citizens.

Reporter, Female # 1
The ceremony included the American and Iraqi national anthems and an official Iraqi representation, but no handover took place between the two countries. It was merely an announcement of the new leadership of the American forces that are staying in Iraq.

Guest, Male # 1 (American Vice President Joe Biden)
“After all that Iraqis endured, we understand their deeply felt desire to control their own lives, determine their own fate, and maintain their own security”. “That’s why we kept President Bush’s commitment to withdraw our forces from Iraqi cities last summer, why President Obama has now kept his promise, made one month after we took office to end our combat mission and draw down to a force of 50,000.”

Reporter, Female # 1
Today’s handover ceremony was a purely American event that passed by Iraqis as any another day in the past six months, awaiting the formation of the government.

Guest, Male # 1
We need a government of national partnership that includes all the existing political parties. A government that represents all the parties and all the political blocs.

Guest, Male # 2
The problem is a matter of security; once they withdraw, there will not be any security. They have not withdrawn yet, and Iraq’s provinces have seen a lot of explosions. How are we supposed to have security once the American forces leave when there is no government?

Reporter, Female # 1
You are now using this bus to go Karada, do you feel safe using public transportation?

Guest, Male # 2
Honestly, it’s not but everyone relies on God.

Reporter, Female # 1
The symbolic site and the timing of the event explain everything. The exchange took place at noon, Baghdad time, in a former Saddam Hussein palace. An image that US officials wanted Americans to see first when they wake up. Rula al-Ayoubi, BBC, Bagdad.

Presenter, Female #1
At least 130 people were killed and 180 others were wounded in three bombings that targeted a Shia procession in the city of Lahore, in eastern Pakistan. Pakistani officials said that two of the explosions were suicide bombings. The Pakistani government has promised to go after the planners of the attack, which is the first to take place in the country since destructive floods hit last month. Generally, these attacks carry the Taliban movement’s fingerprints.

Reporter, Female # 2
Within minutes, this normal procession turned into massive chaos caused by acts of violence. These few minutes were enough to produce this level of fear. Three bombings targeted a Shia procession in Lahore, as they were mourning the assassination of Imam Ali, the first of the Shias’ 12 founding imams.

Guest, Male # 1
I saw the flames behind me, close to the traffic lights. The smoke was covering everything. People were running; they were terrified. It seemed as if it was the resurrection.

Reporter, Female # 2
The head of the Lahore police told the BBC that at least two suicide bombers blew themselves up. According to officials, the first explosion took place off as the procession was ending, before sunset. Only a few minutes later, a suicide bomber blew himself up near the site where food was distributed to the fasters. Then, another suicide bomber blew himself up at the end of the march. As victims were transported to the hospital, the procession’s participants realized the magnitude of their loss.

Guest, Male # 1
I lost three children. I lost everything. My three children were martyred.

Reporter, Female # 2
Since the Shia are being targeted in Pakistan by al-Qaeda or the Taliban movement, through Taliban-affiliated groups, Pakistani Prime Minister Mohamad Raza Gilani promised in a statement to hold those responsible for the attacks accountable. These promises come as the power of these groups keeps on increasing, according to some major powers. Shorty afterward, a confrontation between police and the procession’s participants ensued, as an expression of their anger over the government’s failure to stop these attacks. A government that has been enduring consecutive crises. Over here lies the ghost of the Taliban movement that wants to get rid of a government that is loyal to the Americans. And over there lies the ghost of the floods, with millions of refugees with no shelter, one month after the worst natural disaster in the country’s history hit. Olla Makki, BBC.

NATO forces in Afghanistan have killed at least sixteen civilians over the past twenty four hours. Tons of civilians are being killed in a NATO airstrike in the northern Takhar province. The Afghan government says victims were election campaign workers.

Presenter, Female #1
The Lebanese military command center has issued the following statement: “On August 31st, 2010, two members of the Jaafar clan abducted two Polish tourists from Baalbek and led them to an unknown destination.” The army immediately heightened security measures at the military checkpoints scattered around the area. Soldiers opened fire at the abductors, killing one when they failed to stop their car at a checkpoint in the area of Wadi Fisan. The army identified the deceased as Rashid Reda Jaafar, saying that the other abductor remains at large. According to the statement, the two Polish citizens were taken to the army barracks in the area of Ablah to help with the investigation. The army deployed additional units in the area in pursuit of the fleeing suspect.The Lebanese intelligence agency has arrested 24 Sudanese suspects on charges of infiltrating the Lebanese territory via Syria, with the aid of two Lebanese.

Reporter, Female #2
The Lebanese Second Intervention Force Regiment has carried out a wide-scale manhunt in the Kefar Zabad farms, in pursuit of Sudanese infiltrators believed to be hiding there. Eight of the suspects were arrested after a brief pursuit and exchange of fire in a nearby field. The operation was attributed to the intelligence division of the Lebanese forces in the Shatura Square. Some of the suspects were arrested as they tried to head to Beirut in a van. After questioning them, the suspects confessed to illegally entering the country, informing on 9 others believed to be in hiding in a farm near the town of Kefar Zabad. As army units arrived at the farm in pursuit of the suspects, a 12-year-old Lebanese boy secured an exit for them. The army launched a manhunt operation, which finally led to the arrest of the suspects. With this, the number of Sudanese detainees stands at 24. In addition, 4 Lebanese were arrested, namely the van’s owner and his aid, the farm’s owner, and the juvenile.

Presenter, Female #1
The Lebanese Maronite Bishop Council has expressed regret over the Bourj Abi Haidar incidents and called on the authorities to limit chaos as well as the use of weapons on the streets.

Reporter, Male #1
In a meeting presided over by Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir in Diman, the Maronite Bishop Council expressed regret over the ‘tragic incidents’ of Bourj Abi Haidar. Sfeir called on the authorities to limit the chaotic use of weapons on the streets of Beirut. The council also voiced hope that the direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks will reach a just and final solution that will help end the chronic tragedy of the Palestinian nation.

Guest, Male #2 (Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, the Head of Maronite Bishop Council)
The direct talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis will soon begin, under US auspices. We hope that the negotiators will reach a just and final solution that will help end the chronic tragedy of the Palestinian nation.

Reporter, Male #1
The council said that Lebanon is unequivocally concerned about the peace talks, particularly over the issue of Palestinian refugees, who may be stripped of their right of return or may be subjected to naturalization in their countries of residence, which all Lebanese reject because it violates the constitution.

Presenter, Female #1
The Emirate of Dubai is hosting an exhibition during the month of Ramadan that includes 99 artworks, manuscripts and paintings that recount the history of Islamic art. More details in the following report.

Reporter, Male # 1
A new exhibition held in Dubai during the month of Ramadan showcases mixed-media artifacts, dating back to the cultures of Mesopotamia, Persia, and the Ottoman Empire. Most of the art is Islamic, some is secular. Emily Faure, the director of the exhibition that includes pieces from the Farjam Collection for artistic exhibits in Dubai, said that the displayed articles do not follow a specific chronological sequence, but were collected to display the history of Islamic art from various perspectives.

Guest, Female # 2
The exhibition was “worked out” to show the diversity of Islamic art. We chose a number of displays that cover a broad geographical and historical scope. In addition, it features a variety of mediums. So we have a wide-ranging collection, starting with Islam’s first era, and extending until the beginning of the 20th century.

Reporter, Male # 1
In a special corner, inside a glass display case, the exhibition holds part of a handwritten manuscript from Baghdad that dates back to the 10th century. This is one of the oldest pieces on display.

Guest, Female # 2
This is one of the oldest pieces on display here. It is an image of a manuscript. The complete manuscript is composed of various similar images. Is it one of the oldest calligraphic forms that were used to record the Quran; it is in the Kufic script, which is very horizontal so it consumes a lot of space.

Reporter, Male # 1
The artifacts were chosen from the Farjam Collection, and arranged by students from Zayed University in the Emirates under the direction of the exhibition’s organizers. On one of the exhibit’s walls, a large and heavy curtain was mounted. It is said that it originates from the grave of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It features Quranic verses that were written in gold and silver threads; it was created during the era of the Ottoman Empire. The exhibition also includes a number of rare archaeological pieces, among them textiles, ceramics, jewelry and metal works, highlighting their exceptional craftsmanship.


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