Presenter, Male #1
A bomb blast aboard a bus in Tel Aviv injured dozens of Israelis, as the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip continues.

Reporter, Female #1
After her rockets succeeded in reaching Tel Aviv and other Israeli colonies, the Palestinian resistance entered the heart of Tel Aviv to flip the balance once again. In the first such operation since 2006, the Palestinian resistance carried out an operation near the Israeli ministry of war, targeting an Israeli bus on King David Street and injuring at least 15 people. Three are in a severe condition. According to the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, al-Quds Brigades, it was not a martyrdom operation.

Reporter, Female #1
On the basis of preliminary information, Israeli sources suggested that a woman might have placed an explosive device inside the bus before exiting. The public broadcasting station reported a passenger saying he saw a man throwing a bag or a package inside the bus before fleeing. Meanwhile, it was reported a suspect was detained near the stock market building in Tel Aviv with the enemy's police indicating it received a notice from the security agency early this week warning of a possible bombing. As a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the explosion as a terrorist attack, the Hamas movement blessed the operation.

Guest, Male #2 (Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas Spokesman)
The Hamas movement blesses this martyrdom operation in Tel al-Rabi, and confirms that it is a natural response to the targeting and killing of the Dalu family and the other Palestinian children, women, and civilians.

Guest, Male #3
God willing, there will be 10 more operations.

Reporter, Female #1
The Gazan street, besieged by air and land, expressed its joy over this operation by offering sweets and firing celebratory shots in the air. However, the aerial bombardment of the Strip overshadowed this atmosphere of joy. At least 15 Palestinians were martyred, including children and women, in the ongoing Israeli strikes on the Strip.

Reporter, Female #1
The enemy launched a strike on Burj Na'emeh in the center of the city, known as the media complex, which includes the Agence-France Presse office, killing one child and another person. According to a spokesman for the occupation army, Hamas has an important military intelligence operations room in the center that was targeted.

Reporter, Female #1
Israeli warplanes also shelled the Abu Khadra government complex with at least five missiles, completely destroying it and cutting off power for many areas in the city. The Al Jazeera office, located near the complex, was significantly damaged due to the heavy shelling. This, as the enemy's army called on journalists in Gaza to stay away from terrorists and Hamas' infrastructures. The Palestinian response did not stop with the bus bombing in Tel Aviv as the resistance launched 92 rockets toward Israel. According to a spokeswoman for the occupation's army, 42 fell in Israel, and the Iron Dome repelled 20 rockets.

Presenter, Male #1
Egypt's Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced in a joint press conference with his American counterpart a ceasefire in Gaza will start at 9 pm Cairo time. He indicated that Egypt exerted great efforts and made many contacts with all concerned parties in Palestine and Israel.

Reporter, Female #2
Eight days after the Israeli aggression on Gaza began, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced from Cairo. It will start at 9 pm Cairo time. The announcement was made during a joint press conference by Egypt's Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr and his American counterpart Hillary Clinton. The Egyptian foreign minister announced that Egypt exerted great efforts, and made many contacts with all concerned parties in Palestine and Israel, and the US.

Reporter, Female #2
The efforts led to an agreement to end the gunfire, to restore the calm, and stop the ongoing bloodshed in Gaza. During this marathon day of meetings, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Cairo to continue talks on stopping the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Following his meeting with Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, he said many more issues need to be resolved before a truce can be reached between Israel and armed groups in Gaza. The UN secretary-general also met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, saying the time has come for diplomacy and to end the violence, during a press conference with President Abbas.

Presenter, Female #2
For his part, the Palestinian president confirmed he is in contact with all factions in Gaza and the West Bank, and Cairo to contain the situation and reach a truce. Also from Cairo, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton discussed with the Egyptian president the outcome of her talks with the disputing parties. Clinton also met with the Palestinian president amid popular anger outside the headquarters of the Palestinian presidency.

Presenter, Female #2
Palestinian youth protested against Clinton's visit to Ramallah to condemn the United States for standing on the side of Israel. Protestors held photos of Palestinian children martyred in the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, as other youth tried to advance towards President Abbas' office. However, a large number of Palestinian police officers prevented them from getting close to the headquarters.

Presenter, Male #1
The Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Alliance of Journalists, and the Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists issued statements condemning the Israeli forces for killing journalists, and targeting media offices in Gaza, saying these constitute breaches of international law. These targetings reopen the case of prosecuting and punishing the perpetrators of these violations in international courts, so that breaches of the freedom of the press and journalists do not reoccur.

Reporter, Female #1
Once again we ask: who protects journalists during conflicts and wars? And where is the international community's conscience after Israel targeted employees of media centers in Gaza?

Reporter, Female #1
The targeting hit civilian journalists who were clearly displaying their professional identity cards when they were shelled. Under international law, it is assumed that these professionals receive the same protection as civilians during wars, as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention. So this human rights declaration neutralizes journalists as non-military targets.

Reporter, Female #1
Breaches of international law were represented by the bombing of civilian targets as an Israeli warplane directly hit the vehicle of al-Aqsa channel journalists, killing two cameramen. Previous Israeli raids hit buildings and towers housing media offices in Gaza. They are civilian targets, so clearly non-military. They include the headquarters of al-Quds channel, the military Ma'an news channel, the Palestinian Ma'an news agency, Russia Today TV channel, and Agence France-Presse.

Reporter, Female #1
The shelling of these media offices led to the killing of three journalists and wounded over 24 journalists with moderate to serious injuries. Other media offices were damaged after neighboring buildings were targeted, including an Al Jazeera office in Gaza, after the shelling of the Abu Khadra compound.

Reporter, Female #1
The assaults on press offices and staff in Gaza were widely condemned by the Brussels-based Committee to Protect Journalists, the New York-based International Alliance of Journalists, and the Amman-based Center for Defending Freedom of Journalists. These centers demanded that the United Nations open an official investigation into the Israeli attacks on journalists in the Strip. However, after asking who protects journalists in wars, a second issue is raised, and that is who guarantees that the killers of journalists don't evade punishment?

In Israel, Corporal Yosef Nachman-Partuk was laid to rest in Jerusalem. The 18-year-old soldier was killed by a mortar shell on Tuesday afternoon while helping to guard a community in the Eshkol region. Earlier in the day, a Bedouin Ministry of Defense employee, Aleyan Alnabari was also killed by a mortar attack in the same area. Partuk was a resident of the West Bank city of Emmanuel and served in the Armored Corps after recently finishing his basic training.

Joining IBA in the studio to discuss recent attempts by world leaders to reach a ceasefire in Israel and Gaza is former government spokesman and Israeli diplomat Avi Pazner, who voices his fears that Western media is "losing track of what is happening" in the region by showing more sympathy toward Palestinian civilian casualties.

Israeli forces have once again clashed with Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Two young Palestinians were injured when Israeli forces fired live bullets at protestors near Ofer Prison. Similar clashes in the West Bank city of al-Khalil, also known as Hebron, left several Palestinians injured on Tuesday, after Israeli forces fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protestors marching toward settlements after a funeral ceremony held for two Palestinians killed by Israeli forces. Palestinians in the West Bank have been holding mass protests against Israel's deadly offensive on Gaza.

Presenter, Female #1
The Bahraini judiciary decided to jail 23 doctors for three months on charges of participating in protests last year. Five were acquitted on the same charge, according to an announcement by the Bahraini attorney general. The announcement came as Amnesty International issued a new report warning that Bahrain has two choices, to either abide by the rule of law, or to head towards repression and persecution.

Reporter, Male #1
A new debate between Bahrain and Amnesty International was embodied in the organization's latest report that incorporated one main theme, which is that Bahraini authorities backed down from the reforms they promised during the waves of popular protests, ongoing for nearly two years. There were many thugs of war within the report, especially since it was issued a few days before the first anniversary of the Bahraini Independent Commission of Inquiry's report. The latter acknowledged that human rights violations are occurring in the country.

Reporter, Male #1
Amnesty's findings also come as Bahrain issued a report following up on the recommendations of the fact-finding commission. Amnesty International confirmed that the level of repression in Bahrain has increased through the use of excessive and unjustified force. Al-Manama responded that major reforms were implemented in the fields of security and judiciary, and that those who violated the law were prosecuted.

Reporter, Male #1
After the Bahraini authorities said that the powers of the National Foundation for Human Rights were expanded in the country, Amnesty International responded in its report by saying that the prosecution of the current regime's opponents is increasing amid a ban on protests. Bahrain's government described the report as a gross distortion of the truth, after Amnesty criticized the authorities for stripping a number of opposition figures of their citizenship under the pretext that they are harming national security.

Reporter, Male #1
The report also warned that Bahrain is facing two choices, to either abide by the rule of law, or head towards repression and persecution. Amnesty International did not want the findings of its report to be just a statement. The organization explicitly called on Britain, and the United States to immediately condemn what the organization considers ongoing human rights violations in Bahrain. Washington quickly said that Bahrain's failure to implement reforms will render the political dialogue there more difficult.

Presenter, Female #1
Mohamed Mahmoud Street has witnessed the events of the January 25th revolution since it erupted and until today. Its walls are imprinted with paintings and graffiti that express every minute of the January revolution. This is the fifth time that Mohamed Mahmoud Street witnesses clashes based on the political situation, and the rights of the wounded and the martyrs.

Reporter, Male #1
Mohamed Mahmoud Street refuses to be anything but a field for clashes between police forces and protestors against the situation in Egypt. This is the fifth wave of clashes the street is witnessing since the January revolution erupted. The first was during the first days of the revolution, which lasted three days until the Friday of Anger. The clashes left hundreds of people injured. Following a celebration held in al-Balon Theater in June of 2011, the injured and the families of the martyrs were attacked on that street. A second wave of clashes between security forces and protestors erupted on Mohamed Mahmoud Street in what looked like street battles that lasted two days. During those two days, tear gas was used to disperse protestors. No killings were reported, and several forces attempted to restore calm.

Reporter, Male #1
That same street witnessed confrontations in September of 2011 on the Friday of "Correcting the path," and the events at the Israeli embassy, but they weren't as violent as previous confrontations. Security forces cleared the street and protestors reached the Interior Ministry, where they tore down its sign. Calm was later established. A fourth wave of clashes was renewed between security forces and anti-military council demonstrators, who were protesting against the delay in handing over power, and the violent dispersal of a rally by the victims of the revolution. This was in November of 2011. During the celebration of the anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud events, clashes were renewed once again between security forces and protestors in the same pace and style.

Reporter, Male #1
This street was named after the four-time Egyptian prime minister during the monarchy era. He was also the interior minister that became known as the iron man, or the man with the iron fist. The street was destined to become a center and a reflection of the tension prevailing in the political arena. However, what is noticeable is that the Interior Ministry building is not on Mohamed Mahmoud Street, which branches from Tahrir Square and ends at Port Said Street; rather, the ministry is located on al-Mansour Street which branches from Mohamed Mahmoud Street. This street remains the most important after the revolution due to the momentum of the events that are tied to it and that are still ongoing as the commemoration of the Mohamed Mahmoud anniversary was accompanied by new clashes. Abdallah Barakat, Nile TV.

The Syrian government says its forces have killed dozens of rebels near the Damascus suburb of Daraya. Activists said the area has seen air strikes on rebels and two days of heavy fighting. In Brussels, NATO said it would consider a Turkish request to deploy a Patriot missile on its territory to help it defend itself against any Syrian attacks.

Presenter, Female #1
All parties agree that the Iraqi army must play a national role, but political blocs that approved the constitution differ on how to interpret the army's role according to that same constitution.

Reporter, Male #1
Everyone agrees that the Iraqi army must play a national role. However, the political blocs that signed the constitution which granted the Iraqi army its role to protect the country differ in their understanding of that role. So the question is, where is the continuing search for a solution to these political differences heading?

Guest, Male #2 (Hakim al-Zamili, Member of the Security and Defense Committee)
We need to activate the joint committees, which are the Coordinating Committees that administer the disputed areas, so we are not involved in constant disputes. Instead of pointing the gun barrels at Iraq's enemies, they are using them to fight each other.

Guest, Male #3 (Ibrahim al-Rikabi, Member of Parliament)
I reassure you that, God willing, we, along with our brothers in the Kurdistan Region and our Kurdish-Iraqi brothers, think of Iraq first as a single country. God willing, the situation is heading towards calm. There must not be any friction between us and our Kurdish brothers.

Guest, Male #4 (Hassan Jihad, Member of Parliament)
It is not right to continue to fight and fight and fight and attack each other. We must rebuild our relationships on new foundations, and to have great relations with everyone.

Reporter, Male #1
Iraq's federalism and its federal constitution grant the army the authority to move around all parts of the country. Observers say it is possible that foreign parties are attempting to benefit from an escalation to turn it into a dispute between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government.

Guest, Male #5 (Ahmed al-Sharifi, Security Expert)
In many instances, there are gaps between the federal government and the Kurdistan Region over the interpretation of powers. The truth of the matter is that in most cases, the authorities of one side are overstepping their boundaries, not because there is a lack of understanding on the limits of their powers, but because there's a desire to change the balance of power. The goal is to weaken the central government, so that it can be in one way or another subjected to orders from the Kurdistan Region.

Guest, Male #6 (Ali al-Tamimi, Legal Expert)
The Emirati army, for example, is present in all seven Arab Emirates that are within the country. The same goes for Germany; the German army is present in all parts of Germany. Even the US, which is a grouping of 50 states, functions the same way, so its army is present and deployed across the entire country. So this issue, as we've said, is realistic and does not contradict the constitutional articles of every country of the world, and that includes the 2005 Iraqi constitution.

Reporter, Male #1
According to members of parliament, dialogue remains the preferred means for politicians to cooperate with each other, be it between Kurdistan and Baghdad, or between the other political blocs. Mohamed al-Khafaji, Al-Iraqiya, Baghdad.

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