Presenter, Female #1
Obama's reelection was welcomed, and met with an international wave of relief despite challenging international cases. The most prominent issues of the next four years are the situation in Syria, continuing the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the relations with Russia and China.

Reporter, Female #2
The residents of the Kenyan town of Kogelo, Hussein Obama's hometown, are dancing with joy over the reelection of Barack Obama as the president of the United States. They are hoping this will contribute to some sort of prosperity in their poor town.

Guest, Male #1
I am very happy that Obama won. I know that we will finally have some growth in our region.

Reporter, Female #2
Will the American president fulfill this wish as he deals with an agenda packed with international issues and relations? In his first term, he started to tackle these issues and attempted to lessen the heavy burden left by his predecessor George Bush Jr. in Iraq and Afghanistan. The world is waiting to learn about his strategy for the next four years, but it is almost certain that many international community members are relieved. They are basing this sentiment on the positive image Obama portrayed in the past four years, and it is expected for him to continue this path in his second term.

Reporter, Female #2
Obama changed the understanding of American military intervention abroad, and countered the policy of his predecessor Bush. He withdrew his forces from Iraq, and will continue the series of withdrawals from Afghanistan in accordance with the planned schedule that will completed by 2014. In 2008, Arabs were excited over Obama's election victory, an enthusiasm created by high expectations and campaign promises.

Reporter, Female #2
Since the region is now facing what is called the "Arab Spring," Washington is expected to maintain its stance to observe the situation, and deal with it by pushing for achieving the demands for democracy, and encouraging change while preserving its interests and ruling out direct interference.

Reporter, Female #2
The most challenging issue is Syria. Obama adopted a pragmatic approach by pressuring the Syrian regime in order to sow division within it, and topple it from the inside while being cautious. Cautious that led the Syrian opposition to severely criticize the US administration that is not expected to change its stance.

Reporter, Female #2
Obama resisted Israeli pressure to launch a military strike against Iran, so he continues to bet on harsh sanctions, while waiting for some commotion from within the Iranian regime. The Iranian nuclear case is subject to a disruption at any moment since all options are on the table.

Reporter, Female #2
To the east, it seems the strategic relationship between China and the United States is sensitive and complicated. China fears Obama's approach to Asia and his focus on establishing a foothold there, including a military component, but it is assured by the US' continued declining political influence in the world.

Reporter, Female #2
Under Putin's rule, Russia aims to become a global power that competes with the West, and especially the United States. The collusion between the two countries over important issues such as the Syrian one further complicates their relationship. Moscow's residents didn't express much excitement for either Obama or Romney, but the idea prevails that "the one we know is better than a newcomer whose policy toward our country we're unfamiliar with."

IBA reports that Barack Obama was reelected US president this morning in a race that was not nearly as close as pundits predicted after Obama won the pivotal swing state of Ohio. Israeli officials were quick to offer their congratulations and pledge continuing friendship in working together over the coming four years. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has close ties with defeated Republican candidate Mitt Romney, issued a statement saying that the strategic alliance between Israel and the United States is stronger than ever, and that he will continue to work with President Obama to ensure the vital security interests of Israeli citizens.

Similar words were heard from Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Kadima Chairman Shaul Mofaz, and Housing Minister and Shas MK Ariel Atias. Meanwhile, Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party issued a statement calling on Netanyahu to take immediate steps to correct Israel's sticky relationship with Washington, and the National Union party issued a statement saying that Obama's victory gives a boost to the Israeli left. The Prime Minister's office issued an order to Likud ministers not to make unauthorized comments on Obama's reelection for fear such remarks could further damage the ties between the two leaders.

A key focus for Obama's campaign was Israel and the Jewish vote. According to preliminary exit poll numbers, American Jews once again overwhelmingly supported the Democratic candidate with 69 percent of their vote, a sharp drop from the 78 percent support they gave him in 2008.

In the congressional races, the split between the Democrats and Republicans in both the House and Senate appeared to be about the same as the current Congress. Republicans retained their majority in the House, while Democrats have kept their control of the Senate.

Presenter, Male #1
The Bahraini Interior Ministry announced in a statement that it revoked the citizenship of 31 opposition activists, including two former members of parliament. It added the decision was based on the Citizenship Act that allows it to revoke the nationality of anyone who undermines state security. For its part, the Bahraini opposition said the decision is not lawful since the activists were not put on trial.

Guest, Male #2
The citizenship of those who damaged the state's security was revoked.

Reporter, Female #1
Bahrain decided to revoke the citizenship of 31 activists for violating Article 10 of the Citizenship Act by undermining state security, according to a statement reported by the official Bahraini News Agency. All 31 are Shiite, and some live outside of Bahrain. They include former members of parliament for the Shiite al-Wefaq Society, Jawad Fairuz and Jalal Fairuz, Sheikh Hussein al-Najati, Sheikh Mohammad Sanad, lawyer Taymour Karimi, rights activist Saeed al-Shehabi, and Mariam al-Sayyed.

Guest, Male #3 (Ali al-Aswad, Former MP for al-Wefaq Society)
I think the regime today is trying to punish anyone who calls for freedom and democracy by using an important paper for citizens in Bahrain, which is the Bahraini citizenship.

Reporter, Female #2
The Interior Ministry's statement indicated that Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah al-Khalifa will take the appropriate measures to implement the decision to revoke the citizenship of the activists, with the aim of ensuring the kingdom's commitment to national security while complying with international agreements. The ministry added that those who object to the decision can resort to the judiciary.

Guest, Male #4 (Sheikh Adel Muawada, Bahraini Parliament Deputy Speaker)
All crimes undermine security and damage security, but some crimes actually destroy the country. This is what those people are doing. Those who reveal they don't care about their country and its interests don't deserve the honor of belonging to this country.

Reporter, Female #2
But the opposition is saying those whose citizenship was revoked were not put on trial, and for this reason the ministry's decision is unlawful.

Guest, Male #5 (Saeed al-Shehabi, Bahraini Freedom Movement Chairman)
Legally, Article 15 section 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality. The second issue is that this decision was not the result of the judiciary's rule, and most of those who were deprived of their nationality were not put on trial, nor were they charged with anything.

Reporter, Female #2
The authorities' decision comes two days after two Asian workers were killed and another was injured by five homemade bombs. The authorities described the blast as terrorism. Bahrain said it arrested four people suspected of having links to the explosions. It also accused the Iran-allied Lebanese Hezbollah of being responsible for the bombings.

Reporter, Female #2
The Bahraini government accuses the opposition of having associations with foreign parties, and undermining state security. In response, the opposition says the government is punishing those calling for freedom by revoking their citizenship. In between the two sides, Bahrain is witnessing instability amid the accusations, and counter-accusations. Rima Shlon, BBC.

Presenter, Male #1
As 10 years have passed since the construction of the racist expansion and annexation wall, the Israeli B'Tselem human rights organization issued a report on the damage caused by the building of two-thirds of the wall, and its direct impact on the lives of Palestinian citizens.

Reporter, Male #2
In 2002, Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister at the time, decided to begin constructing a wall separating Palestinians from Israelis, under the claim of preventing bombing operations. As time passed, the true aim of this racist plot was revealed. The goal was to expand geographically into the 1967 territories and to connect settlements to each other, isolate Palestinian cities from one another, and destroy lives. This is the summary of a report by the Israeli B'Tselem human rights organization 10 years after the wall was constructed.

Guest, Male #2 (Iyad Haddad, B'Tselem Organization)
This report sheds light on the amount of suffering the Palestinian are enduring when it comes to freedom of movement and access to other West Bank cities, and to Palestinian villages as well. This impacts many aspects of the Palestinian citizens' daily life, be it on their movement, trade, medical care, and agriculture.

Reporter, Male #2
The report titled "Life under harassment" states that despite Israel's commitment to the Supreme Court's ruling it has not taken the required procedures to prevent inflicting severe harm on Palestinian life. Since the establishment of the wall, Palestinians living in residential communities affected by the wall lost the ability to use their land in a profitable manner, which is their only remaining source of income.

Guest, Male #4 (Abdallah Abu Rahma, Popular Committees against the Wall)
I believe all of this requires continuing and expanding the popular work. So we reject the wall and all its forms and components, and will continue to do so until we reach the land and are able to use it.

Reporter, Male #2
The B'Tselem organization indicates that the length of the illegal wall is two times that of the Green Line, and that 85 percent of the wall is built inside the West Bank. Over 10 years ago, the construction of this deadly racist wall began and its construction is continuing on Palestinian land until this day. This wall has contributed to ripping apart cities, villages and towns, and stripping Palestinians of their rights, land, and dignity. Haroun Amaireh, Palestine TV.

Presenter, Female #1
In Damascus, a series of bombings took place in a predominately Alawite district, indicating an escalation in the level of the sectarian conflict that's deepening the division in the country.

Presenter, Male #1
Meanwhile, Turkey said it will officially ask NATO to deploy Patriot missiles along its border with Syria.

Reporter, Male #2
As the Syrian opposition continues its meetings in the Qatari capital, Doha, in order to form a new leadership, the cycle of violence continues in Syria and claims additional lives. Britain announced that it will hold talks with armed Syrian opposition groups in a bid to unify their leadership and help put an end to the bloodshed in the country, but ruled out arming the opposition.

Reporter, Male #2
For his part, Pope Benedict XVI called on all sides in Syria to find a peaceful solution in order to end what he referred to as "the terrible suffering" of the Syrian people. Meanwhile, a senior Turkish Foreign Ministry official said that his country will submit an official request to NATO in order to deploy Patriot missiles along its border with Syria.

Reporter, Male #2
In a daring attack by the armed opposition, fighters fired mortar shells at President Bashar al-Aasad's presidential palace, missing their target. Meanwhile, various neighborhoods in Damascus are witnessing acts of violence, including shelling, clashes and bombings, as confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Reporter, Male #2
The Observatory said the Mazzeh neighborhood, where the majority of residents are regime loyalists, endured heavy mortar shelling, killing three people and injuring nearly 12 others. In the southern parts of Damascus, the Observatory said a booby-trapped car exploded in al-Qadam neighborhood, killing one person. In addition, three people were killed in al-Hajar al-Aswad neighborhood during shelling by regime forces.

Reporter, Male #2
In the countryside of Damascus, warplanes conducted raids on various areas, targeting the town of Arbin. In addition, the cities of Duma, Harasta, and the eastern Ghouta Town were shelled. In Aleppo, which has been witnessing daily battles for over three months, a warplane shelled buildings in the northern district of Bustan al-Basha, which is under the control of opposition fighters.

Reporter, Male #2
In Idlib Province, clashes between regime forces and the opposition are continuing around the Wadi al-Daif base. Warplanes shelled areas around the besieged base and the adjacent strategic city of Maarat al-Numaan, which fell under the fighters' control nearly a month ago.

Presenter, Female #1
In response to the terrorist and cowardly acts affecting Palestinians in the camps in Syria, an official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry confirmed that Syria will firmly stand against any attempt to drag the Palestinians into the events happening in the country. The source said the only path for Palestinian refugees is the one that leads to Palestine, and spoke about the need to hold onto their inalienable rights, most notably the right of return.

Presenter, Female #1
The source added that armed terrorist groups escalated their attacks and terrorist acts across Syria in the last few days, including against our Palestinian people, and especially in the camps in Damascus and Daraa. This led to the death of many innocent Palestinians. The source continued by saying the aim is to drag the Palestinians into what is happening in Syria, calling on the Palestinian people's factions, organizations, and all of their leadership to stay away from the plots of the armed terrorist groups.

Presenter, Female #1
These groups have announced their connection to plots against the Palestinians' aspirations and legitimate rights in the service of the interests of Israel and its supporters. The source concluded by saying that a major part of what Syria is enduring right now is a response to its stance in support of the Palestinian people's struggle, and its refusal to settle their case, confirming it will continue to fulfill its responsibility towards them until they receive their legitimate rights.

In Pakistan, Shiite organizations, along with members of the civil society, have staged a protest in Lahore to denounce the targeting killing of innocent Shiites across the country, and to condemn the government's negligence on ensuring the safety of Shiites' lives and religious freedom. Shiite organizations have passed a resolution against the killings and urged the government to ensure the locals' safety. Shiite leaders have blamed the United States for being the main culprit behind the increased targeting of Shiites, and demanded that the government cut all ties with the US.

Press TV reports that some 77 members of Iranian Parliament have decided to summon President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to answer some questions, including some regarding the recent fluctuations of the Iranian rial in the foreign currency market and the import of crops and luxury cars with foreign currency at government-subsidized rates. This is the second time that lawmakers have summoned the president to Parliament for questioning during his two terms in office. He first appeared last March to discuss his foreign and domestic policy decisions, but the questioning had been canceled. Iran's parliament has given President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad one month to respond to lawmakers' questions.

Presenter, Female #1
Iraq has canceled a deal to buy aircraft.

Reporter, Female #2
It seems the deal Iraq struck with the United States, which included buying 36 advanced F-16 fighter jets, with the first batch arriving in March, may not be completed. The Iraqi parliamentary Security and Defense Committee called for canceling the deal to purchase American planes if the US refuses to replace the Israeli-made recording devices they contain.

Reporter, Female #2
The devices were detected by officers in the Iraqi air force. The committee confirmed that it will interrogate those responsible for the deal to find out why the aircrafts contain an Israeli information recording device. It also formed a technical committee to determine the amount of harm caused by this device, in addition to finding a strong technical mechanism that would allow removing the recording device without damaging the structure and work of the aircraft, while providing them with other anti-spyware devices.

Reporter, Female #2
However, member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Member of Parliament Asma al-Mousawi, assured that it is not possible to cancel the deal for the sake of responding to personal demands. She ruled out canceling the deal unless legally prescribed.

Reporter, Female #2
However, she clarified that discovering the recording device among the components of the American aircraft is a good thing, and that it benefits the Iraqi air force since it discovered the matter during a mere inspection of the capabilities of the aircraft. This comes as pilots in the countries of the region that have been importing these same aircrafts for years, and specifically Saudi Arabia, have failed to discover the device. But these countries, and in their forefront Saudi Arabia that owns Israeli-made radars, will not be deterred by such devices inside its planes.

Reporter, Female #2
In 2010, Saudi Arabia signed a 60 billion dollar weapons contract with the United States, and since such deals require the approval of Israel, the latter approved it on condition it receives its own share. Israel told Saudi Arabia to buy its radars, radars that are obviously not as advanced as Israel's, but the same can be said for the entire deal.

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