Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described on Friday the Israeli government's decision to stop transferring tax money to Palestinians as "piracy".

The Israeli government announced the move on Thursday and said it was in retaliation for the Palestinians' recent drive for further United Nations recognition

Erekat said if the Israeli government "chose this path of business as usual, it cannot be maintained".

Under interim peace accords, Israel collects taxes on behalf of the Palestinians and transfers about 100 (m) million US dollars a month.

Without it, the Palestinian Authority likely couldn't pay the salaries of its tens of thousands of employees.

AP TELEVISION

1. Saeb Erekat, senior Palestinian negotiator arriving

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Senior Palestinian Negotiator:

"We were surprised by the Israeli government decision to withhold the Palestinian funds, you know we are under occupation; they collect our taxes, customs and revenues for us, and the Israeli government decision to withhold these funds - this is piracy - and we should look forward. If the Israeli government choose this path of business as usual, this cannot be maintained, this cannot be maintained."

3. Cutaway of cameraman

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Senior Palestinian Negotiator:

"The Swiss government have notified us that Palestine has become a higher contracting party for Geneva conventions of 1949 and the additional protocols of 2 February, 1977. The secretary general of the United Nations, Mr Ban Ki-moon, had informed us that the accession of the state of Palestine to eleven conventions will be done on 2 May, 2014 and two other conventions on 7 May and 2 July respectively. We are engaging in these trilateral talks in order to move forward. Our signing these letters of accession to the conventions do not contradict the need to have negotiations."

5. Cutaway of cameraman

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Senior Palestinian Negotiator:

"We are talking, we agreed to continue our trilateral talks, but I can say the gaps remain big".

7. Erekat getting into car and leaving

SHOTLIST:

POOL

New York

1. Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour coming to microphones

2. Reporter asking question

3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:

"This form of collective punishment is in a way a declaration of war against Palestinians in Gaza and, as it was characterised today, by Amr Moussa as a war crime. Because you know that we have hundreds of patients that require electricity in hospitals and if electricity is not available it's like a decision of executing them, including many newborn children."

4. Reporter asking Mansour question

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations:

"I don't think that Prime Minister (Ehud) Olmert should joke about the plight of 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, saying 'Well, they can walk.' It is much complicated than such a joke because the life of 1.5 million people relying on electricity and fuel and medicine and food is not just only just taking a stroll, it's not taking a walk on the beach. It is dealing with their daily life."

6. Mansour leaving

STORYLINE:

The United Nations (UN) Security Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip following Israel's closure of all border crossings into the area last week.

The meeting, which comes a day ahead of the council's planned consultations on the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinian territories, was suggested by the Arab League which had gathered for an emergency meeting in Cairo earlier on Monday to discuss the situation in Gaza.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN Observer, said that he and Arab ambassadors to the UN had urged the council to adopt a statement expressing concern about the situation and asking Israel to reopen the borders, but there was no comment on Monday about possible council action.

Mansour, also told reporters at the UN on Monday that Israel's form of collective punishment was, "in a way, a declaration of war against Palestinians in Gaza and as characterised by Amr Moussa, (the Arab League secretary general) a war crime".

"You know that we have hundreds of patients that require electricity in hospitals and if electricity is not available it's like a decision of executing them, including many newborn children," he said.

The 15-member council met briefly on Monday to decide whether to move up their regular consultation, which was scheduled for Wednesday.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also called Israel's prime minister on Monday to share his concerns over developments in Gaza and southern Israel, according to a UN head office statement.

It provided no other details, but UN officials last week also voiced concerns about the closures and its impact on the residents of Gaza.

Israel closed all border crossings with the Gaza Strip on Friday in response to a spike in rocket attacks from Hamas-ruled Gaza into southern Israel.

The closure cut off fuel supplies and on Sunday, Gazan officials shut the strip's power plant, leaving one-third of the 1.5 million (m) people without electricity.

The cut off of fuel prompted condemnation from aid and human rights groups, and the UN warned that international food aid to the impoverished territory may have to be suspended by the weekend.

On Monday, Israel announced it would allow for a one-time shipment on Tuesday of fuel and medicine, but Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other officials maintained a hardline stance on Hamas and warned that Gaza residents would not be able to live with comfort as long as southern Israel was under rocket attack.

SHOTLIST:

AP TELEVISION

1. Zoom in from meeting to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

2. Pan left from Palestinian officials to Ban

3. Pan from media to the news conference

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General:

"I therefore welcome the resumption of credible negotiations to achieve the two state solution and appreciate the courageous efforts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu, of both parties. These important steps towards a peace all go well for the first ever UNDAF (United Nations Development Assistance Framework) and I am very much grateful for all your strong support for social economically viable state of Palestine and let us work together and help the two parties so that they can make a progress in negotiations."

5. Mid of media

6. Wide of Ban shaking hands with Palestinian officials

STORYLINE:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived to the West Bank town of Ramallah on Thursday to support Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

At a news conference held after the meeting the Secretary-General welcomed the "resumption of credible negotiations to achieve the two state solution and appreciate the courageous efforts of President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu."

The UN, along with the US, the European Union and Russia, is part of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators kicked off their first substantive round of peace talks in nearly five years on Wednesday, huddling together at an undisclosed location in search of an end to decades of conflict.

The meeting was cloaked in secrecy, an attempt by both sides to prevent leaks to the media and maintain trust.

Officials would say only that the talks took place in Jerusalem, and there was no immediate comment from either side.

Ban is expected to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on Friday.

SHOTLIST

1. Mid of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad shaking hands outside Palestinian presidential compound

2. Cutaway of flags

3. Close-up of Fayyad, pull out to Fayyad and Ban seated

4. Pan from Palestinian delegation to Fayyad and Ban

5. Pull out from handshake to Fayyad and Ban sitting down

6. Mid of Ban and UN delegation, pan to Fayyad and Ban

STORYLINE

A diplomatic push was underway in the Middle East on Wednesday to try to edge Israel and Hamas toward a ceasefire.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah and was expected to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas later on Wednesday.

The two sides had seemed on the brink of a deal on Tuesday following a swirl of diplomatic activity also involving US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.

But sticking points could not be resolved as talks and violence stretched into the night.

While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas doesn't have any practical influence in Gaza, his West Bank government would be instrumental in implementing any new arrangements on the Gaza border that would be part of a ceasefire pact.

Israel launched the offensive on November 14 following months of rocket salvoes from the territory into southern Israel, which has endured attacks for the past 13 years.

It assassinated Hamas' military chief, then followed up by bombarding the militant-run territory to its south with more than 1,500 airstrikes that initially targeted rocket launchers and weapons storage sites, then widened to include wanted militants and symbols of Hamas power.

Defying Israel's claims that they've been badly battered, the militants have so far fired more than 1,400 rockets at Israel, drawing upon newly developed and smuggled weapons to extend the reach of their attacks toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Israel's largest cities.

The number of Israelis within rocket range leapt to 3.5 million from one million.

SHOTLIST:

++DAY SHOTS++

1. Wide high shot of explosion at Palestinian National Security Forces compound

2. Mid of burning building

3. Wide of thick black smoke rising

4. Zoom in on fire and smoke

5. Wide high shot of smoke rising from compound

6. Close-up of building in flames, smoke rising

7. Wide high shot of scene

8. Pan across burning building and debris

9. Mid of burning building, emergency vehicles in street

++NIGHT SHOT++

10. Wide of explosion lighting up night sky

STORYLINE:

Thick black smoke rose above Gaza City on Monday, after an Israeli missile hit the headquarters of the Palestinian National Security Forces.

The air strike caused a huge explosion, leaving one building in flames.

The same site was also targeted on Sunday morning.

Earlier, during the night, a separate explosion rocked the city.

Elsewhere in Gaza City on Monday, an air strike levelled two houses belonging to a single family, killing two children and two adults and injuring 42 people, including children, according to a Gaza heath official.

The bloodshed was likely to raise pressure on Israel to end the fighting, even as it pledged to intensify the offensive by striking the homes of wanted militants.

High numbers of civilian casualties in an offensive four years ago led to fierce criticism and condemnation of Israel.

In all, 81 Palestinians, half of them 37 civilians, have been killed in the five-day onslaught and 720 have been wounded.

Three Israeli civilians have died from Palestinian rocket fire and dozens have been injured.

US President Barack Obama said he was in touch with players across the region in hopes of halting the fighting.

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon urged the two warring parties to achieve an immediate cease-fire.

He said he was heading to the region to appeal personally for an end to the violence, but no date was given in the UN statement for his arrival.

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United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon warned on Tuesday that a cease-fire without addressing the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would only delay the problem.

In the last three days, Ban has met with the head of the Arab League and Arab, Palestinian and Israeli leaders as part of high-level mediation efforts.

"Things cannot go back to the way they were. Suffocating closures, chronic shortages of water and energy, economic underdevelopment and chronic political impasse. Gazans must have real hope for reconstruction and progress," Ban told a news conference, after talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah.

Ban has already visited Qatar, Kuwait, Cairo and Jerusalem and said he will go on to Jordan and Saudi Arabia on what he called a mission "of solidarity and peace" to quickly end the escalating war between Israelis and Hamas militants who control the Gaza Strip.

Hamdallah, for his part, reiterated the plea for the blockade of the Gaza Strip to be lifted.

Many Gaza residents say the closure, imposed by Israel and Egypt after Hamas seized Gaza in 2007, is like a slow death: It prevents them from travelling, from importing cement to build homes and increasingly from earning enough to feed their families.

Disagreement over whether and how to lift the Gaza closure is a key stumbling block to ending more than two weeks of fighting between Hamas and Israel.

And in a way, it is emerging as the Gazan equivalent of what is single-mindedly driving the Israelis - the rocket fire from Gaza, which they feel must stop at almost any cost.

For the Gazans, it is the blockade that must stop, and the fact that Hamas is demanding this appears to have gained its tactics genuine support.

The third conflict in just over five years has already claimed the lives of at least 609 Palestinians, the vast majority civilians, and 29 Israelis - 27 soldiers and two civilians.

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide of Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon and Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah walking on red carpet

2. Ban and Hamdallah shaking hands

3. Wide of Ban and Hamdallah walking into building

4. Various of meeting

5. Various of Ban and Hamdallah arriving for joint news conference

6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rami Hamdallah, Palestinian Prime Minister:

"Honourable Secretary-General of the United Nations, the demands of the Palestinian people can be summarised in one word: justice. Justice for our people, who everyday and since the beginning of the Israeli occupation have been subject to the occupation for 47 years. It's time for this aggression to stop and it's time for this siege to stop. And indeed we raise our voice today, and every day, and we want the pursuit of justice for our people. And freedom and independence, which is a human and nationalistic right agreed upon by the international community."

7. Cutaway of cameraman

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General:

"Any ceasefire must also tackle the root causes of instability of Gaza. Things cannot go back to the way they were. Suffocating closures, chronic shortages of water and energy, economic underdevelopment and chronic political impasse. Gazans must have real hope for reconstruction and progress."

9. Ban and Hamdallah leaving

10. Exterior of government building in Ramallah ++DUSK SHOT++

Israel bombed five mosques, a sports stadium and the home of the late Hamas military chief across the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, a Gaza police official said.

Loud explosions can be heard throughout the early morning, often just seconds apart and clouds of black smoke rising above buildings across the city.

Overnight air strikes set off huge explosions that turned the night sky over Gaza City orange.

The intense Israeli strikes came as UN chief Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met in Cairo to launch the highest-level push yet to end two weeks of Israel-Hamas fighting that has claimed at least 570 Palestinian and 29 Israeli lives.

AP TELEVISION

1. Gaza city skyline, loud explosion heard then camera turns toward area west of Gaza city, zoom in of cloud of thick black smoke rising above buildings

2. Cloud of black smoke rising, AUDIO: small explosion

3. Audio of explosion heard then camera zooms out and turns back toward Zeitoun neighbourhood

4. Audio of loud explosion and cloud of thick smoke rising over Shijaiyah neighbourhood, followed by audio of ambulances and more explosions

5. Another explosion heard, camera turns toward area south of Gaza city and zooms in on cloud of black smoke rising above buildings

Palestinian protesters marched on Sunday through the streets of Ramallah in the West Bank to show their support for those living in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli troops were escalating their ground offensive.

Protesters urged Israel to put an end to the offensive in Gaza.

Many held Palestinian flags while others chanted: "With our soul, with our blood, we will sacrifice for you, Gaza".

"The whole Palestinian territory, the whole West Bank is uprising now. We are all in an uprising against the aggression on Gaza. Against the massacres that Israel is conducting in Gaza," said Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti, who took part in the protest.

Backed by tanks and warplanes, Israel widened its ground offensive on Sunday with a crowded Gaza City neighbourhood coming under fire.

The fighting, including heavy Israeli tank fire, killed scores of Palestinians, forced thousands to flee their homes and left dozens of homes destroyed.

Palestinian health officials reported at least 50 dead in air and artillery strikes that echoed across the city for hours and sent panicked residents fleeing, many carrying small children and waving white flags.

Gaza officials said 35,000 people fled their homes Sunday.

The nearly two-week conflict has killed more than 400 Palestinians and seven Israelis, and appeared to be escalating as United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon headed to the region to try to revive cease-fire efforts.

AP TELEVISION

1. Wide shot of protesters walking with Palestinian flags and chanting UPSOUND (Arabic) "Oh Qassam, oh beloved, Hit Tel Aviv"

2. Wide shot of protesters walking with Palestinian flags and chanting in Arabic

3. Wide shot of people on street watching demonstrators chanting

4. Wide shot of protesters chanting UPSOUND (Arabic) "With our soul, with our blood, we will sacrifice for you, Gaza"

5. Mid of protesters walking with Palestinian flags

6. Wide of protesters chanting UPSOUND (Arabic) "With our soul with our blood, we will sacrifice for you, Gaza"

7. Wide of protesters walking with fliers while chanting UPSOUND (Arabic) "They sold Gaza with the dollar!"

8. Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti (middle) marching

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian lawmaker:

"The whole Palestinian territory, the whole West Bank is uprising now. We are all in an uprising against the aggression on Gaza. Against the massacres that Israel is conducting on Gaza."

10. Reverse shot of police standing in foreground, protestors marching in background

11. Wide of protesters standing and chanting with Palestinian flags

12. Wide shot of protesters holding large Palestinian flag

13. Close up of sign reading (English) "Access should (be) granted for ambulance to evacuate the injured", then tilt up to woman holding the sign

14. Wide shot of protesters holdings Medical Relief Society signs

UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon said on Thursday that he is "deeply troubled" by Israeli settlement building and that it could ultimately prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

A day earlier, Israelis and Palestinians had launched formal talks on the terms of a Palestinian state, ending a five-year freeze.

The talks were overshadowed by recent Israeli announcements on promoting plans for more than 3,000 new settlement apartments.

The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967.

Israel has built dozens of settlements there that are now home to more than half a million Israelis and are deemed illegal by most of the international community.

"I am deeply troubled by Israel's continuing settlement activity in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem," Ban said, speaking at a news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"The settlement activity is deepening the Palestinian people's mistrust in the seriousness on the Israeli side toward achieving peace. It will ultimately render a two-state solution impossible," ban said.

The five-year break in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations was largely due to a dispute over settlements.

Abbas insisted on a settlement freeze as a condition for talks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the demand, arguing that all issues should be raised in negotiations with the Palestinians.

Under US pressure, Abbas eventually agreed to return to talks without a settlement freeze, though Abbas aides have said the Obama administration assured them it would try to restrain Israeli construction.

Amid expectations of a slowdown, Israel's recent announcements about new settlement plans prompted particular anger among Palestinian negotiators.

Israeli officials argued that much of the new construction is planned in areas Israel expects to keep in any peace deal.

The current round of negotiations is the third attempt since 2000 to set up a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Negotiators are to draw borders, including one running through Jerusalem, agree on security arrangements and decide on the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees and their descendants.

The US hopes Israelis and Palestinians can reach a deal within nine months, though expectations on all sides are low.

Abbas said all key issues were addressed in Wednesday's round, adding that "we cannot say at this stage whether we have or have not made progress. We are still at the beginning and we hope that in the coming days we will be able to report progress."

1. Wide of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon entering building with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

2. Zoom in to Ban Ki-moon and Abbas shaking hands then sitting down

3. Mid of Abbas

4. Mid of Ban

5. Wide of Ban and Abbas arriving at news conference

6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General: ++AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING++

"I understand that two parties have some understandings that you will exert all your efforts to make this negotiation a success, to achieve a two-state solution, two-state solution. Then if you realise a two-state solution I think you will realise all your other priorities. Therefore I urge the parties concerned to exert all your efforts to make this process moving with a great and successful results."

7. Wide of Ban and Abbas

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General: ++AUDIO QUALITY AS INCOMING++

"I remain deeply troubled by Israel's continuing settlement activity in the West Bank, including east Jerusalem. The settlement activity is deepening the Palestinian people's mistrust in the seriousness on the Israeli side toward achieving peace. It will ultimately render a two-state solution impossible."

9. Close of flags

10. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:

"We cannot say what went on from the first session of negotiations, but what I can say is that all issues are being discussed, borders, Jerusalem, settlements, refugees and security, all these issues are on the table. We cannot say at this stage whether we have or have not made progress. We are still at the beginning and we hope that in the coming days we will be able to report progress."

11. Ban and Abbas leaving

SHOTLIST:

1. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon arriving at presidential compound

2. Ban walking towards wreath, adjusts wreath

3. Ban paying respects at grave of Yasser Arafat

4. Various of Ban meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

5. Ban and Abbas walking in for news conference

6. Reporter asking question

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General:

"At this time I do not have plans to meet with Prime Minister Haniyeh or other Hamas cabinet ministers. I think the political atmosphere is not fully right."

8. Wide shot of presser

9. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:

"We are convinced that the release of (Corporal Gilad) Shalit is very important and we are doing everything in our power to get it done, though we are being attacked over this issue all the time. At the same time and in the same warmth we are working to release 10-thousand Palestinian prisoners. This is our goal and that's what we want to approach."

10. Abbas and Ban leaving

11. Abbas and Ban shaking hands outside

12. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President:

"Condoleeza Rice is coming as part of the efforts to keep moving the peace process. As you remember we had the trilateral meeting with Rice, Olmert and myself and then I met Olmert again. During Rice's current visit, and by the way we will meet again tomorrow, we have a lot of things to do and the goal of these meetings is to see how we can keep up progress towards peace."

13. Ban's convoy arriving at Dana restaurant in Ramallah

14. Ban shaking hands with Mohammed Dahlan, a prominent member of the moderate Fatah Party who now holds a top security post in the new Palestinian government and Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad

15. Various of launch

16. End shot of security outside restaurant

N.B. Rushes of this story are available on story G00826.

STORYLINE:

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday during his first visit to the Palestinian territories, since he took over as head of the UN.

Flanked by bodyguards, Ban also laid a wreath at former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's grave.

During the meeting with Ban, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas commented on the status of Corporal Gilad Shalit an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas-linked militants in June 2006 and is believed to be being held in the Gaza Strip.

"We are convinced that the release of (Corporal Gilad) Shalit is very important and we are doing everything in our power to get it done, though we are being attacked over this issue all the time,'' Abbas said.

''At the same time and in the same warmth we are working to release 10-thousand Palestinian prisoners. This is our goal and that what we want to approach,'' he added.

Abbas said the Palestinians are committed to a truce and a comprehensive peace deal with Israel.

"Condoleeza Rice is coming as part of the efforts to keep moving the peace process. As you remember we had the trilateral meeting with Rice, Olmert and myself and then I met Olmert again".

"During Rice's current visit, and by the way we will meet again tomorrow, we have a lot of things to do and the goal of these meetings is to see how we can keep up progress towards peace," Abbas said.

Abbas said he asked Ban to speed up the UN's plan to register Palestinian damage claims following the construction of Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank.

Both Ban and Rice hope their clout will help to prod Israel and the Palestinians to start talking peace again.

But Ban said he would not meet Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, citing a busy schedule. He said he would, however, meet with Palestinian Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr, an independent.

Hamas, branded as a terror group by the U.S. and European Union, joined the more moderate Fatah Party in a coalition government last weekend, in the hope of halting deadly Palestinian infighting and persuading the West and Israel to resume crucial funding cut off after Hamas swept parliamentary elections a year ago.

Israel said the new coalition does not meet the international conditions, and immediately said it would continue its boycott and urged the international community to follow suit.

SHOTLIST

1. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon arriving by car and hugging Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al Kidwa

2. Wide of band playing for his arrival

3. Ban entering building

4. Ban and Al Kidwa shaking hands

5. Officials

6. Various of Ban and Al Kidwa looking at new computers donated to the Palestinian authority by the South Korean government

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser Al Kidwa:

"Its not good enough for the Israeli side to make statements and to say that we are leaving. And then hope for a successful experience and successful withdrawal. It won't work this way. We need clear understandings in all aspects including the status of the Southern part of Gaza strip, the so called 'Philadelphia', and international gateways, as I said, assets, the relationship with the West Bank, etcetera etcetera (and so forth)."

8. Briefing

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon:

"We have been impressed by the Sharm El Sheik meetings which have provided us some guidelines, but at the same time we were disappointed by the lack of progress of the recent summit meetings between Palestinian and Israeli leaders."

10. Briefing

11. SOUNDBITE: (English) South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon:

"I also appreciate the very kind and strong support for peace and prosperity policy initiated by my government and I also explained the recent development of situation which have taken place particularly during the last two weeks between south and north which has been very much encouraging and positive."

12. Long shot of press conference

13. Ban laying a wreath on Yasser Arafat's grave, zoom out to other tributes

14. Various interiors of Ban meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

15. Ban leaving Ramallah

STORYLINE

In the first ever visit to the Palestinian authority by a South Korean official, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon arrived in Ramallah on Friday to meet Palestinian leaders.

The South Korean Minister expressed his support for the Palestinian struggle and donated 700 computers to the Palestinian Ministry of Education.

Speaking at a press conference with his Palestinian counterpart Nasser Al Kidwa, Ban said his government was disappointed by the lack of progress after the recent meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Al Kidwa called for clear understandings between Israel and the Palestinians before the Gaza withdrawal and said it would not work if Israel does not coordinate with the Palestinian government.

The South Korean minister met later in the day with Palestinian leader Mahoumd Abbas and laid a wreath on Yasser Arafat's grave in Ramallah.

SHOTLIST :

AP Television

Jenin, West Bank - 28 August 2011

1. Carpenter cutting fabric to cover chair

2. Carpenter measuring fabric

3. Tailor working on cover of chair

4. Carpenter covering chair, displaying the seat

5. Close up on fabric reading (in English) "PALESTINE Palestine''s Right. A Full Membership in the United Nations"

6. Various of carpenter working on chair''s seat

AP Television

Ramallah, West Bank - 29 August 2011

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Ayman Sbeih, Palestinian engineer :

"We had actually thought of an initiative at the popular level that would carry the message clearly and loudly to the whole of the world, that Palestine is now have every right to become a full nation, to have our independence and to have our full membership in the United Nations. We decided that we will actually manufacture a seat that looks like seats, the full membership states seats in the General Assembly of the United Nations and to take it with us in a round trip around the world."

8. Close up of logo featuring the chair on caps, zoom out to pile of t-shirts and caps

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ayman Sbeih, Palestinian engineer :

"Palestine is the only country in the world that is not independent, it is the only country in the world that suffers from a colonial-style occupation. We want to finish that. It is a legitimate right, it is a very peaceful campaign, we want peace with our neighbours, we want peace with everyone and this is the message we are carrying to all of them. Of course after that we will go, fly to New York and handover the actual seat to Mr. Ban Ki-moon and ask him to put it inside the hall of the United Nations."

10. Box containing the chair being opened

11. Various of chair being assembled

12. Ayman Sbeih standing by chair

STORYLINE :

Palestinian activists on Monday displayed a chair they are going to use as part of a campaign to highlight their hopes for a seat at the United Nations.

The wooden chair, made by craftsmen on the West Bank, has been designed to look like those used by member states in the General Assembly Hall of the UN building in New York City.

It is covered with blue upholstery and embroidered with a Palestinian flag and the slogan "Palestine, Palestine''s Right. A Full Membership in the United Nations".

The activist group said they are going to take the chair on an international tour in order to highlight the Palestinian Authority''s hopes for UN recognition of a Palestinian state.

It will be shown to diplomats in countries with influence at the UN including Britain, Russia and Lebanon, this month''s rotating Security Council president.

The chair''s final stop is the UN.

Palestinian engineer Ayman Sbeih is part of the group taking the chair around the world.

He said he thought the chair was an idea that would appeal to many people.

"We decided that we will actually manufacture a seat that looks like seats, the full membership states seats in the General Assembly of the United Nations and to take it with us in a round trip around the world."

Sbeih said he hopes it will highlight the situation the Palestinians are currently in.

"Palestine is the only country in the world that is not independent, it is the only country in the world that suffers from a colonial-style occupation. We want to finish that. It is a legitimate right, it is a very peaceful campaign, we want peace with our neighbours, we want peace with everyone and this is the message we are carrying to all of them."

Israel and the United States oppose the Palestinian statehood bid, saying a state must be established through negotiations.

SHOTLIST

Qalandiya checkpoint, West Bank - 23 September 2011

1. Wide of checkpoint, barbed wire in foreground

2. Soldiers checking car

3. Checkpoint tower

3. People walking through checkpoint

4. Pan of checkpoint

5. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Ahmad Salman, West Bank resident:

"This is a good and a brave step for our Palestinian people and the president (Mahmoud Abbas) was supposed to take this step a long time ago. There was a chance for Israel to give us the Palestinian state since these talks started with the late President Yasser Arafat, even before we asked for it, because this step will bring peace to the Israelis and not only to the Palestinians."

Ramallah, West Bank - 23 September 2011

6. Chair representing UN seat for Palestinian state with man wearing traditional scarf, Keffiyeh, in foreground

7. Mid of banner promoting UN bid with pictures of Arafat and Abbas on it

8. Mid of policemen

9. Wide of square

Jerusalem - 23 September 2011

10. Wide of Dome of the Rock

11. Police in front of Damascus Gate

12. Various of people having their identity cards checked before entering Old City

13. Pan of group of Israeli police being briefed

14. Wide of group of Israeli police

15. Mid of newspaper headline reading (Hebrew) "Head to Head: Showdown at the United Nations", with pictures of Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

16. Jerusalem Post headline reading (English) "Obama will be ''held responsible'' for failure of peace process, says PA (Palestinian Authority)"

Burj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp, Beirut, Lebanon - 23 September 2011

17. Wide shot of Burj el-Barajneh camp

18. Wide of entrance to camp with posters of Abbas and Arafat

19. Close-up of Abbas poster

20. Palestinian flag

21. Set-up shot of Palestinian refugee, Mohamed Moussa, walking in street

22. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohamed Moussa, Palestinian refugee:

"I salute President Mahmoud Abbas - (also known as) Abu Mazen - and I want to tell him that he should not worry about Obama or anybody else, go and tell them that Palestine is an independent state, Palestine is for us and for our children after us in God''s will."

23. Sign reading (Arabic) "Palestine is state 194 in the UN"

24. Street scene

Mevasseret Zion, outskirts of Jerusalem - 22 September 2011

25. Various set-up shots of international law expert, Professor Robbie Sabel, reading book

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Robbie Sabel, International Law Expert, Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

"Should the UN General Assembly recognise them as a state I think one should assume that all international organisations will accept them as a state member because on political issues UN organisations accept the rules of the General Assembly. Therefore if the General Assembly would recognise them as a state they could then become members of every international organisation."

Above Jerusalem - 20 September 2011

27. Various aerials of Jerusalem

STORYLINE

Israeli security was stepped up on Friday ahead of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas'' speech at the United Nations, where he is expected to ask for recognition of a Palestinian state.

Police set an age limit on people entering Jerusalem''s Al-Aqsa mosque for Friday prayers.

At the Qalandiya checkpoint between Israel and the West Bank, Israeli security was inspecting those entering Israel to attend prayers at the mosque.

Nearly two decades after embarking on historic peace talks with Israel, Palestinians are hoping to sidestep that troubled route through their bid for UN recognition of an independent state.

Earlier in the week, Abbas rebuffed an intense, US-led effort to sway him from the statehood bid, saying he would submit the application to UN chief Ban Ki-moon as planned.

"This is a good and a brave step for our Palestinian people and the president (Mahmoud Abbas) was supposed to take this step a long time ago," said West Bank resident Ahmad Salman.

"There was a chance for Israel to give us the Palestinian state since these talks started with the late President Yasser Arafat, even before we asked for it, because this step will bring peace to the Israelis and not only to the Palestinians," he added.

There was also a palpable sense of anticipation at the Burj el-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

"I salute President Mahmoud Abbas - (also known as) Abu Mazen - and I want to tell him that he should not worry about Obama or anybody else, go and tell them that Palestine is an independent state, Palestine is for us and for our children after us in God''s will," said one Palestinian refugee, Mohamed Moussa.

Abbas'' appeal to the UN to recognise Palestinian independence in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip would not deliver any immediate changes on the ground: Israel would remain an occupying force in those first two territories and continue to severely restrict access to Gaza, ruled by Palestinian Hamas militants.

Beyond that, Security Council action on the membership request could take weeks or months.

The US has threatened to veto the membership bid in the Security Council, reasoning, like Israel, that statehood can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties to the long and bloody conflict.

Yet by seeking approval at a world forum overwhelmingly sympathetic to their quest, Palestinians hope to make it harder for Israel to resist already heavy global pressure to negotiate the borders of a future Palestine based on lines Israel held before capturing the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in 1967.

While many Israelis are dismissing the Palestinians'' UN bid as merely symbolic, an international law expert at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem believes it could yield tangible benefits.

"Should the UN General Assembly recognise them as a state I think one should assume that all international organisations will accept them as a state member because on political issues UN organisations accept the rules of the General Assembly," said Professor Robbie Sabel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The international organisations which may admit the Palestinians include UN''s refugee agency (UNHCR), the World Health Organisation, and the International Criminal Court.

LEAD IN

As the Palestinian flag is raised at the United Nations, one man looks back on growing up in the West Bank in a time when the flag was banned.

Activist Mohamad Elayan says it's a "proud moment" to see the flag fly freely, but his thoughts turn to all those who sacrificed their lives to make it happen.

STORY-LINE

This is the moment Palestinians have long been waiting for - their national flag is raised for the first time at the United Nations in New York.

In the West Bank - joyous celebrations.

It's a historic moment for the Palestinian people.

Under a sea of black, white, green and red the party carries on into the night.

For many people here it is a tremendous victory for the UN observer state and a symbol of the sacrifices made to get this far.

And for others, like 47-year-old Mohamad Elayan, it has a personal significance.

Israeli authorities banned the Palestinian flag inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip following the Six Day War in 1967.

It stayed that way until the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.

It meant that children like Elayan grew up with the flag hidden from public view.

But Elayan says he continued to draw the flag in secret and despite the trouble he got into he says it was worth it.

"I still remember when the Israeli soldiers would stop me when I was a child and search my school bag, they beat me and arrested me when they found a Palestinian flag in my bag that I drew myself and tortured me in spite of me being a child, but I also remember that we liked to draw the Palestinian flag when we were in school because the Palestinian flag meant a lot to us."

As an activist, he was arrested eleven times between 1985 to 1992 and spent a total of five years in Israeli prisons.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas raised the flag in front of 300 ministers, diplomats and well-wishers crowded into the rose garden at the UN headquarters.

He declared that in the future, 30th September will be "the day of the Palestinian flag."

Elayan shares his feelings.

"I am very proud to see our flag raised at the United Nation institutions. We sacrificed so much for this moment, so many people died in order for that flag to be raised and many others have been wounded or arrested. I am very happy to see our flag rise freely."

The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly approved on 10 September allowing UN observer states to fly their flags alongside those of the 193 UN member states.

The Holy See and Palestine and are the only two UN observer states.

It's a significant step forward for the Palestinian pursuit of statehood - and a blow to Israel, says Palestinian executive committee member Mustafa Barghouthi.

"This step is an honour for all those Palestinians who died or were injured or became disabled when trying to raise the Palestinian flag, when the cost of raising the Palestinian flag was their lives."

"It's a symbolic act, but it has a big political meaning too because it consolidates that the Palestinian state is under Israeli occupation and settles the debate about the occupied territories in 1967, so this is of big political value."

Abbas told the crowd in New York that the flag raising was a "historical moment" on the Palestinian road to independence.

"The dawn is coming" he told the crowd, when the state of Palestine will be free.

LEAD IN

As the Palestinian flag is raised at the United Nations, one man looks back on growing up in the West Bank in a time when the flag was banned.

Activist Mohamad Elayan says it's a "proud moment" to see the flag fly freely, but his thoughts turn to all those who sacrificed their lives to make it happen.

STORY-LINE

This is the moment Palestinians have long been waiting for - their national flag is raised for the first time at the United Nations in New York.

In the West Bank - joyous celebrations.

It's a historic moment for the Palestinian people.

Under a sea of black, white, green and red the party carries on into the night.

For many people here it is a tremendous victory for the UN observer state and a symbol of the sacrifices made to get this far.

And for others, like 47-year-old Mohamad Elayan, it has a personal significance.

Israeli authorities banned the Palestinian flag inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip following the Six Day War in 1967.

It stayed that way until the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993.

It meant that children like Elayan grew up with the flag hidden from public view.

But Elayan says he continued to draw the flag in secret and despite the trouble he got into he says it was worth it.

"I still remember when the Israeli soldiers would stop me when I was a child and search my school bag, they beat me and arrested me when they found a Palestinian flag in my bag that I drew myself and tortured me in spite of me being a child, but I also remember that we liked to draw the Palestinian flag when we were in school because the Palestinian flag meant a lot to us."

As an activist, he was arrested eleven times between 1985 to 1992 and spent a total of five years in Israeli prisons.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas raised the flag in front of 300 ministers, diplomats and well-wishers crowded into the rose garden at the UN headquarters.

He declared that in the future, 30th September will be "the day of the Palestinian flag."

Elayan shares his feelings.

"I am very proud to see our flag raised at the United Nation institutions. We sacrificed so much for this moment, so many people died in order for that flag to be raised and many others have been wounded or arrested. I am very happy to see our flag rise freely."

The Palestinians campaigned for a General Assembly resolution that was overwhelmingly approved on 10 September allowing UN observer states to fly their flags alongside those of the 193 UN member states.

The Holy See and Palestine and are the only two UN observer states.

It's a significant step forward for the Palestinian pursuit of statehood - and a blow to Israel, says Palestinian executive committee member Mustafa Barghouthi.

"This step is an honour for all those Palestinians who died or were injured or became disabled when trying to raise the Palestinian flag, when the cost of raising the Palestinian flag was their lives."

"It's a symbolic act, but it has a big political meaning too because it consolidates that the Palestinian state is under Israeli occupation and settles the debate about the occupied territories in 1967, so this is of big political value."

Abbas told the crowd in New York that the flag raising was a "historical moment" on the Palestinian road to independence.

"The dawn is coming" he told the crowd, when the state of Palestine will be free.

UNTV

New York - 30 September 2015

1. Wide of Palestinian flag being raised at UN

2. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas standing alongside Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 30 September 2015

++DUSK SHOTS++

3. Wide of Palestinians celebrating after the raising of the Palestinian flag at the United Nations

4. Mid of women dancing and holding Palestinian flag

5. Close of Palestinian flags waving

6. Various of crowds gathered to listen to celebratory speeches

7. Wide of Palestinian activist Mohamad Elayan walking

8. Mid of Elayan entering his house

9. Wide of Elayan watching the raising of the Palestinian flag at the United Nations on TV

10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Mohamad Elayan, Palestinian activist:

"I still remember when the Israeli soldiers would stop me when I was a child and search my school bag, they beat me and arrested me when they found a Palestinian flag in my bag that I drew myself and tortured me in spite of me being a child, but I also remember that we liked to draw the Palestinian flag when we were in school because the Palestinian flag meant a lot to us."

11. Wide of Elayan watching TV

12. Close of TV screen

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Mohamad Elayan, Palestinian activist:

"I am very proud to see our flag raised at the United Nation institutions. We sacrificed so much for this moment, so many people died in order for that flag to be raised and many others have been wounded or arrested. I am very happy to see our flag rise freely."

14. Mustafa Barghouthi, member of the Palestinian Executive Committee, walking to his desk

15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic): Mustafa Barghouthi, member of the Palestinian Executive Committee:

"This step is an honour for all those Palestinians who died or were injured or became disabled when trying to raise the Palestinian flag, when the cost of raising the Palestinian flag was their lives. It's a symbolic act, but it has a big political meaning too because it consolidates that the Palestinian state is under Israeli occupation and settles the debate about the occupied territories in 1967, so this is of big political value."

16. Mid of billboard showing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas with Palestinian flag in the background

17. Close of Palestinian flag

18. Traffic on Ramallah's streets with billboard in background

SHOTLIST:

UNTV

New York

++4:3++

1. Mid tracking shot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon entering room and shaking hands

2. Mid of Abbas signing book pull out to wide of meeting

3. Various of Abbas and Ban Ki-moon at conference table

DOS TV

Washington, DC

++16:9++

4. Wide of US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma entering news conference at State Department

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Hillary Rodham Clinton, US Secretary of State:

"The path to a two state solution that fulfils the aspirations of the Palestinian people is through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not New York. We have made very clear to the Palestinian leadership - you know I met with President Abbas just last week - that we oppose Palestinian efforts to upgrade their status at the UN, outside of the framework of negotiations to achieve a two-state solution. Because no matter what happens at the United Nations, it will not produce the outcome that this government, this president, and certainly I, strongly support. And the only way to get a lasting solution is to commence direct negotiations and we need an environment conducive to that, and we've urged both parties to refrain from actions that might in any way make a return to meaningful negotiations that focus on getting to a resolution more difficult."

6. Mid of Clinton and Dlamini-Zuma walking out of news conference

STORYLINE:

Ahead of Thursday's vote in the UN on recognising the state of Palestine, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting on Wednesday with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The Palestinians want the 193-member General Assembly to accept "Palestine," on the lands Israel occupied in 1967, as a non-member observer state.

They anticipate broad support.

For Abbas, the UN bid is a last-ditch attempt to stay relevant as a leader, after years of failed peace talks with Israel, at a time when his Islamic militant Hamas rivals are gaining ground.

The expected yes vote will be far more than just symbolic for the Palestinians. It could give them leverage in future border talks with Israel, and open the way for possible war crimes charges against the Jewish state.

The US and Israel have tried to block the quest for UN recognition of Palestine, saying it's an attempt to bypass Israeli-Palestinian negotiations that broke down four years ago.

The US has again asked Abbas to drop the idea and has promised that President Barack Obama would re-engage as a mediator in 2013.

At the Department of State on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said UN recognition of an independent Palestine wouldn't help to reach a lasting two-state peace agreement.

She stressed that the "path to a two-state solution that fulfils the aspirations of the Palestinian people is through Jerusalem and Ramallah, not New York."

SHOTLIST:

1. Various of protesters in front of building housing Israeli Embassy, burning images of American and Israeli flags while chanting, UPSOUND: "Free, free Palestine"

2. Mid of protesters holding placards

3. Close-up of American and Israeli flag images burning

4. Close-up of placard reading (English) "Justice for Gaza victims"

5. Close-up of American flag image being burned

6. Mid of protester holding placard reading (English) "Stop killing Palestinians"

7. Mid of protest leader Renato Reyes holding placard reading (English) "Stop US-Israel air strikes!"

8. Mid of protester holding placard reading (English) "Stop murdering children! Free Palestine!"

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Renato Reyes, protest leader:

"There can never be pin-point air strikes in an area that is so densely populated. Any bomb dropped there would certainly result in high civilian casualties. So the bombings have to stop.There is no justification for these continuing air strikes killing civilians."

10. Wide of protesters holding placards and chanting, (UPSOUND): "Stop the bombing! Free, free Palestine! Stop the bombing!"

STORYLINE:

Dozens of Filipino protesters gathered in front of Israel's Embassy in Manila on Tuesday, to denounce the country's continued bombardment of Gaza.

They burned images of Israeli and American flags during the demonstration and chanted "Free, free Palestine."

Protest leader Renato Reyes said that he doubted Israeli claims that their bombing campaign was based on "pin-point air strikes" when the targets were in densely populated areas.

"Any bomb dropped there would certainly result in high civilian casualties," Reyes said.

"There is no justification for these continuing air strikes killing civilians," he added.

As part of global efforts to end the Gaza fighting, UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Cairo on Monday and was to meet with Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday.

United Nations Security Council members also appeared optimistic that a resolution would soon be reached over the continued violence between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

A total of 38 Palestinians were killed in Gaza on Monday, bringing the death toll since the start of Israel's offensive to 111, including 56 civilians.

Some 840 people have been wounded, including 225 children, Gaza heath officials said.

Three Israeli civilians have been killed and dozens have been wounded.

SHOTLIST

Gaza City, Gaza Strip - 20 November 2012

1. Wide of funeral ceremony at Church of Saint Porphyrius

2. Various of relatives and friends looking at body during funeral

3. Medium shot of church dome

4. Wide shot of church during funeral

5. Medium shot of Archbishop Alexios

6. Various of funeral ceremony

7. Various of relatives and friends during funeral

8. Wide shot of relatives and friends kissing body

9. Medium shot of relatives kissing body

10. Various of relatives crying and screaming

11. Coffin being carried aloft by relatives

Jebaliya Refugee Camp, Northern Gaza Strip

12. Filippo Grandi, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine, inspecting damaged house

13. Various of Grandi touring food distribution facilities

14. Wide of UN staff distributing food

15. Close up of bags of food

16. SOUNDBITE (English) Filippo Grandi, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine:

"The decision to have a ceasefire and to stop violence is very, very urgent, dramatically urgent. (pauses for Arabic translation) The Secretary-General of the United Nations is arriving today and I support entirely, of course, and we should all support his efforts to bring about an end of violence."

17. Wide of UN health facility

18. Close up of sign UN Health facilities

19. Grandi inspecting damaged UN health facilities

20. Medium of damaged window

Gaza City, Gaza Strip

21. Various of plumes of smoke rising, believed to be from Israeli airstrikes

STORYLINE

Mourners gathered in Gaza City on Tuesday for the funeral of 52-year-old Salem Paul Sweliem, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

Sweliem, a member of Gaza's small Greek Orthodox Christian community, was killed in the same rocket strike that killed a senior member of the military wing of Islamic Jihad on Monday.

Sweliem was in a car when the strike took place, flying shrapnel hit him and he died on his way to the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine visited Gaza's Jebaliya refugee camp on Monday, as Israeli airstrikes continued.

Filippo Grandi visited a UN food distribution centre and inspected a UN health facility damaged when a nearby Hamas police station was hit in a rocket attack.

"The decision to have a ceasefire and to stop violence is very, very urgent, dramatically urgent," Grandi told reporters.

Efforts to end a week-old convulsion of Israeli-Palestinian violence drew in the world's top diplomats on Tuesday, with President Barack Obama dispatching his secretary of state to the region on an emergency mission and the UN chief appealing from Cairo for an immediate cease-fire.

Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers have staked out tough, hard-to-bridge positions, and the gaps keep alive the threat of an Israeli ground invasion.

From Egypt, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he came to the region because of the "alarming situation."

By Tuesday, 115 Palestinians, including 54 civilians, have been killed since Israel mounted an air onslaught that has so far included nearly 1,500strikes. Some 840 people have been wounded, including 225 children, Gaza health officials said.

Three Israeli civilians have also been killed and dozens wounded since the fighting began last week, the numbers possibly kept down by a rocket-defence system Israel developed with US funding. More than 1,000 rockets have been fired at Israel this week, the military said.

SHOTLIST

Ramallah, West Bank - 8 September 2011

1. Wide of march, people holding banners, one banner reads (English) "Palestine key to peace"

2. Tilt down from United Nations headquarters in Ramallah to people gathering outside holding Palestinian flags

3. Mid of Palestinian woman handing letter asking for Palestinian statehood to UN representative

4. Close of letter

5. Wide of man standing speaking through megaphone, people gathering around him

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Abdullah Abu Rahmeh, coordinator of campaign for Palestinian statehood:

"We are here to give the United Nations office a message to send to Ban Ki-moon, about we are as a Palestinian people we need to be a member in the United Nations and this is our right to have independence and country and to stop the occupation."

7. Activists holding banner reading (English) "Palestine key to peace"

8. Palestinian policemen standing outside the UN headquarters

Jerusalem - 7 September 2011

9. Exterior of Israeli parliamen, the Knesset

10. Forum meeting in Knesset to discuss the settlers and their plans for the month of September, ahead of UN General Assembly later this month

11. Mid of attendees in forum meeting

12. Close of document presenting agenda for September, reading "September - from threat to opportunity, changing the rules of the game"

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Baruch Marzel, member of Jewish National Front party (religious Zionist party):

"I have to protect my family, and I have to protect my school, I have to protect my kids, and if we rely on Netanyahu and Barak that are weak people, we will be in very bad shape."

14. Mid of man sitting in forum meeting reading

Shilo, West Bank - 7 September 2011

15. Tracking shot of guard dogs running out, owned by settlers to prevent Palestinians approaching their settlement

Kfar Eldad settlement, West Bank - 6 September 2011

16. Various of Gaddy Hervshatz, security officer of settlement standing near jeep

17. SOUNBITE: (Hebrew) Gaddy Hervshatz, security officer at Kfar Eldad settlement:

"I don''t sense anything, at least not in our area, that something is going to happen or develop, and I don''t think I am wrong in my assumption. In general the area has been calm for some years."

18. Mid of house and barbed wire fence

19. Wide of settlement

FILE: Jerusalem outskirts - 14 May 2011

20. Various of Israeli police training ahead of September

21. Various of Israeli police being confronted by men dressed as Palestinians during a drill

22. Wide of drill

STORYLINE

The Palestinians on Thursday officially launched their campaign to join the United Nations as a full member state, saying they would stage a series of peaceful events in the run-up to the annual gathering of the UN General Assembly later this month.

Some 100 Palestinian officials and activists gathered at the UN offices in Ramallah, in the West Bank, for a short ceremony, where they announced their plans in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

The letter urges Ban to add his "moral voice in support of the Palestinian people."

"Families of the tens of thousands of victims of Israeli occupation, including those martyred, wounded and imprisoned, and countless others who were expelled from their homes or lost their homes and their property, hope that you will exert all possible efforts toward the achievement of the Palestinian people''s just demands," it says.

The letter was handed over by Latifa Abu Hmeid, a 70-year-old woman who lost one son in fighting with Israel and has seven other sons in Israeli prisons serving sentences for alleged militant activities.

Officials said Abu Hmeid was selected to deliver the document because her personal story reflects the plight of the Palestinians.

A resident of a West Bank refugee camp, her house has been twice demolished by Israeli authorities as punishment for her sons'' activities, they said.

The Palestinians have decided to turn to the UN to recognise their independence after two decades of unsuccessful peace efforts with Israel.

The campaign seeks recognition of an independent Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem - areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel rejects a return to its 1967 lines.

Although the Palestinians say their campaign will be peaceful, Israeli military officials fear that mass demonstrations in the West Bank could turn violent.

And in Jerusalem, members of different Zionist religious parties gathered at the Knesset for a meeting to discuss their preparations for the month of September, contained in a document "September - from threat to opportunity, changing the rules of the game."

Baruch Marzel, a member of the Jewish National Front party (religious Zionist party), who is regularly described by the Israeli media as an "extreme right wing activist", said he could not rely on the Israeli government to protect him and his family.

"I have to protect my family, and I have to protect my school, I have to protect my kids, and if we rely on Netanyahu and Barak that are weak people, we will be in very bad shape," he said.

Settlers living on land the Palestinians want for their future state have long been targets for militant attacks; likewise, some settlers have attacked Palestinian civilians.

There are 300-thousand Israeli settlers in the West Bank, living among around 2.5 (m) million Palestinians.

Settlements are typically guarded by soldiers and by teams of local residents armed by the military. In addition, many settlers carry private firearms and own guard dogs, and clashes between settlers and Palestinians are common.

Meanwhile, Israel''s security forces have been preparing for the possibility of violence, conducting exercises and stockpiling what they say is "non-lethal" riot-control equipment like tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades.

SHOTLIST

Jerusalem - 20 September 2011

1. Wide skyline shot of Jerusalem with Dome of the Rock centre right

2.Israeli flag flying near Jerusalem''s old city

3. Wide of the Western Wall

Jerusalem - 18 September 2011

4. Wide of people crossing road in main street

5. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Sami Lazar, Israeli resident of Jerusalem :

"I think they (the Palestinians) are wrong. They had a chance 64 years ago to get the same deal, but they didn''t take it. I do not think they will be successful this time around and they will lose for nothing."

6. Mid of people standing waiting for the tram to come

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Reuvan Mashkavski , resident of Jerusalem:

"I think it could lead to little pesky violence and can even lead to war if they (Palestinians) feel like they are having their own little war for independence. It''s not going to be good for anyone because people will die and in the end, they will not end up with what they want anyways."

Ramallah, West Bank -18 September 2011

8. Wide of Manara Square

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Nader, No other name given, 23-year-old lawyer:

"I think it''s a good political step because we show the international community that what we are trying to achieve is peace."

11. Car with Palestinian flag on its roof driving by

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Hassan Oude, 24-year-old Ramallah resident:

"Some of the people, like my friends and other friends agree with it - some do not agree. For me, I agree as I see it as a positive step, so I agree with this and I think Inshallah (if Allah wills its) it will lead to a good thing at the end."

Ariel settlement, West Bank -18 September 2011

13. Wide shot and pan right of Ariel

14. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Yigal, No other name given, Ariel resident:

"In my opinion, it will lead to nothing. It will just continue the ongoing tense situation and it doesn''t seem that they (the Palestinian leadership) are interested in reaching an agreement that will also be good for their own people."

Dheisheh refugee camp, outskirts of Bethlehem, West Bank -18 September 2011

15. Wide of Dheisheh camp with mosque in the centre

16. Wide skyline shot of Dheisheh refugee camp

17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Na''eam Abu Aqar, Dheisheh resident:

"We hope that our appeal to the UN will bring results, because we have suffered a lot for 60 years. We gave martyrs, prisoners and wounded people. It''s enough for us to suffer, we hope we will reach a state."

Qalandiya, outskirts of Ramallah, West Bank -18 September 2011

18. Mid of dividing barrier, Qalandiya camp in background

19. Woman walking

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Radi Yaacoub, 27-year-old dentist, resident of Qalandiya Refugee Camp:

"This is very important for the Palestinian people to have a country"

21. Wide of alley

Gaza City, Gaza Strip -18 September 2011

22. Wide of road

23. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Sameer Sleem, Gaza resident:

"We are with any step that can achieve Palestinian hopes, but what I can see in this international world situation and the weakness of Palestinian people is that going to the United Nations will not bring any benefit to Palestinians."

24. Mid of street, people walking

25. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Majed Abu Salama, Gaza resident:

"Whenever we think about going to the UN, negative or bad thoughts come to our minds. I''m still optimistic and I''m with President Abu Mazen (also known as Mahmoud Abbas) going to the UN, because it''s enough that we have lived years in this tragedy. If, God willing, this will be a good initiative for us, we can achieve a state like others and our people can have lives like other nations"

Ramallah, West Bank -18 September 2011

26. Wide of six-metre chair being unveiled in Manara Square

27. Sign reading (English and Arabic) "Palestine''s Right. A Full Membership in The United Nations."

28. Crowd watching man dance

29. Wide of chair in Manara Square

Tel Aviv, Israel - 18 September 2011

30. Wide shot of hotels lining beach

31. Women walking on beach

32. SOUNDBITE (English) David, last name not given, 32-year-old Tel Aviv resident:

"I think and I hope that a lot of Israelis think like me that finally they (the Palestinians) deserve it. It has been a while and we had enough and we want something else."

33. Cutaway of people sitting on the beach

34. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Roni, last name not given:

"I think that on their behalf, it''s a wrong decision. It''s a decision that can lead to a mess and Israel will not stand by and do nothing and from this decision in my opinion, there will be bloodshed."

35. Wide of Tel Aviv beach

STORYLINE

Just days ahead of a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, Israelis are greeting the controversial move with a mixture of fatalism and wariness.

The widespread frustration over the coming UN vote could bode poorly for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose popularity at home has already been damaged by a social-protest movement angry over the country''s high cost of living.

The looming showdown at the UN is deepening already strong divisions in Israel and tapping into a sense that 63 years after gaining independence, the country is still searching for its place in the family of nations.

In recent weeks, Israel has suffered a series of high-profile diplomatic setbacks, watching relations deteriorate with Turkey, Egypt and Jordan, its closest and most important allies in the Muslim world.

These developments have fuelled a perception that Netanyahu is helplessly watching as a dynamic region changes around him.

Most Israelis - and Palestinians - seem to realise that the likely outcome of a symbolic Palestinian victory at the UN will not change things on the ground.

Some 500-thousand Israelis live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and Israel retains firm control over both areas.

Yet there appears to be a widespread sense that Netanyahu may have misplayed his hand, even among his supporters.

The Palestinians are turning to the UN in frustration after years of fruitless peace talks that were derailed by bouts of violence, indecision and gaps that could never quite be bridged.

Talks have been frozen for a year over Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem - areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war that the Palestinians claim for their future state.

The Palestinians plan to ask the world to recognise a state based on the pre-1967 lines. They plan to first ask the Security Council, the powerful 15-member body that must approve a statehood request.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will launch his statehood bid on Friday with a written request to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after his address to the General Assembly.

The Security Council will examine it and vote - it must achieve backing from nine of the 15 council members with no vetoes - but the US has already said it will use its veto.

The Palestinians are then expected to seek an upgraded observer status - as a "non-member state" - in the larger General Assembly, where victory is virtually guaranteed.

Although the status is largely symbolic, an overwhelming vote in favour might aid the Palestinians in applying for membership in various global organisations where they can continually challenge Israel.

President Barack Obama himself has endorsed the 1967 lines as the basis of a future peace deal, but the US, like Israel, believes peace can only be reached through negotiations.

With Netanyahu opposed to a full withdrawal from the West Bank and insisting that Israel retain east Jerusalem, the Palestinians say there is no point in returning to talks.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Sami Lazar said he thought the Palestinians were wrong to go the UN.

"They had a chance 64 years ago to get the same deal, but they didn''t take it. I do not think they will be successful this time around and they will lose for nothing," he said.

However in Ramallah, 23-year-old lawyer Nader supported the Palestinian move.

"I think it''s a good political step because we show the international community that what we are trying to achieve is peace," he said.

Also in Ramallah, Palestinians unveiled a six-metre chair, symbolising their desire for a seat at the United Nations.

On the chair was a large sign reading: "Palestine''s Right. A Full Membership in The United Nations."

But while most Palestinians were staying positive, in Tel Aviv, beachgoer Roni predicted bloodshed.

"It''s a wrong decision. It''s a decision that can lead to a mess and Israel will not stand by and do nothing and from this decision in my opinion, there will be bloodshed," he said.

But in the Dheisheh refugee camp near Bethlehem, Na''eam Abu Aqa said he hoped the appeal to the UN would bring results.

"We have suffered a lot for 60 years. We gave martyrs, prisoners and wounded people. It''s enough for us to suffer, we hope we will reach a state," he said.

Envoys of the Quartet of MidEast mediators - the US, the UN, the European Union and Russia - planned to meet again on Tuesday in an effort to avert a showdown by crafting a way forward that would be enough to persuade the Palestinians to drop their bid and have enough caveats for Israel to get its support.

But as the Palestinians edged closer to seeking statehood recognition, Netanyahu called for Abbas to meet with him in New York.

The Israel leader said he wanted to resume peace talks, upping the pressure on Abbas and building on the frenzied diplomacy swirling around the Palestinians'' bid.

SHOTLIST

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas getting out of car

2. Abbas greeting delegation

3. Abbas going into hotel

STORYLINE:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in New York on Sunday night with a tense week ahead for the future of the Middle East.

Leading up to his arrival the United States and Europe have scrambled for a strategy that would help avoid a jarring showdown over whether to admit an independent Palestine as a new United Nations member.

Instead, they sought to guide Israel and the Palestinians back into the tough bargaining on a long-sought peace agreement.

The Palestinians are frustrated by their inability to win concessions from Israel such as a freeze on settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

They want to seize the moment to try to gain greater standing and attention with a high stakes wager on statehood and U.N. membership.

The U.S. and Israel vehemently opposed this move.

Envoys from all four gathered Sunday in New York and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Quartet envoy Tony Blair.

A further meeting of Quartet officials was planned for Monday, officials said, with Ashton possibly presenting some ideas to Abbas on the same day.

Only 12 months ago, President Barack Obama said he wanted the U.N. to be welcoming Palestine as its newest member this year.

But talks long have since broken down, and the U.S. is in the unenviable position of leading the opposition to something it actually supports.

The U.S. has promised a veto of the Palestinian bid at the Security Council, leading to fears the action could spark violence in the region.

Without nine affirmative votes in the 15-member Council, the Palestinian resolution would fail and Washington is hoping it

won''t have to act alone.

U.S. officials believe that six other members may vote against or abstain, meaning the Palestinians would fall short.

That tally could not be immediately confirmed.