LEAD IN:

A Palestinian clothes designer from Ramallah has built up a celebrity following, making a name for himself and for Palestinian fashion outside the region.

He wants other Palestinians to be inspired to take up careers in the fashion industry.

STORY-LINE:

Whether in Los Angeles or downtown Ramallah, international designer Rami Kashou is sharing his collection with a broad range of people.

Kashou, the son of a former Miss Jordan, was born in Jerusalem in 1976, and raised in Ramallah. He started to draw and design clothes at the age of seven, designing for his mother and the neighbours.

After high school he moved to the US to learn fashion design.

He was one of the 15 designers to feature on season four of 'Project Runway' in 2007. He finished as first runner-up, going on to show his work during Fashion Week in New York.

Project Runway is a reality show that pits contestants from around the US against each other in challenges that test their creativity and aesthetics. They create runway ready looks in weekly episodes and the top designers often go on to dress celebrities.

Kashou has dressed famous people such as Queen Rania of Jordan, Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, Paris Hilton, Heidi Klum and others.

"I wanted to come to Ramallah to show some of my work, because I'm a son of this country, so I come every year here to visit. This time I wanted to give the people a chance to come to see my work and to get to know each other. There are people who are following my work but can't reach it", he says.

In a studio close to Yasser Arafat Square, people have come from different areas to see Kashou's latest designs, talk to him and try his clothes.

"I'm happy that he thought of doing such a thing here, to start with as a Palestinian. We should benefit the most from his work more than others," says Hiyam Atwan Zabaneh, a Ramallah resident who was trying on a Rami Kashou dress.

The Palestinian designer wants to encourage other international designers to come to Ramallah and show their work to Palestinians.

"There are people among us who like fashion. But because of what goes on in the news, they don't see these stuff (that Palestinians like fashion). So we like to change this idea and change the atmosphere," says Kashou.

Currently he is working on having an online shop, where people can see his latest work and buy it online. He is also looking to use Palestinian embroidery, which he would like to incorporate into his future work.

Ramallah, West Bank - 27 July 2016

1. Designer Rami Kashou helping woman while she is trying on dress

2. Tilt up of dress on woman

3. Kashou talking to woman about dress

4. Mid of dresses

5. Tilt up of dress

6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rami Kashou, designer:

"I wanted to come to Ramallah to show some of my work, because I'm a son of this country, I come every year here to visit. This time I wanted to give the people a chance to come to see my work and to get to know each other. There are people who are following my work but can't reach it. It is like an experiment, I wanted to show some of my work, and see what is more desired; the evening dresses, the cocktail dresses, the daily dresses, shirts, skirts, so next time I would like that every time I come I bring with me a collection that has different sizes, and give the people a chance to buy, because here it is rare to have a designer brining his work with him."

7. Mid of women checking dress

8. Kashou talking to woman about dress on mannequin

9. Tilt up of dress on mannequin

10. Women checking dresses

11. Kashou talking to visitors about his designs

12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic/English) Hiyam Atwan Zabaneh, Ramallah resident:

"I'm happy that he thought of doing such a thing here. To start with as a Palestinian, we should benefit the most from his work more than others. Even if the person did not buy, it is good to get to know what's the fashion this year, and this season. I really encourage him to do such events more often to show us and keep us up to date."

13. Zoom out of Kashou holding one of his dresses

14. Various of clothes designed by Kashou

15. Kashou holding dress

16. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rami Kashou, designer:

"Following this, people might be encouraged to come here more and show their work. Maybe this is a new opportunity that will encourage designers from abroad to come and give a chance to the Palestinian people to see (their work). There are people among us who like fashion. But because of what goes on in the news, people don't see this aspect (that Palestinians like fashion). So we would like to change this idea and change the atmosphere."

17. Kashou showing woman a dress

18. Women checking dresses

19. Tilt down of white dress

20. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Rami Kashou, designer:

"I will have an online shop, so people can buy online, if after I leave here people wanted to see my work and the new collection, it will be shown there (online). Now I'm looking into the embroidery subject, as I would like to work on a specific design that will include Palestinian embroidery."

21. Kashou talking to women about his work

LEAD IN:

Palestinian youths feel excluded from the political process, and the recent Fatah conference highlighted this.

Many young Palestinians feel the old guard has a grip on the political process that they refuse to loosen.

STORY-LINE:

The recent conference of the ruling Fatah party sent a disheartening message to young Palestinians.

Most of those elected to top positions are in their 60s and 70s, signalling that politics under octogenarian President Mahmoud Abbas is an old man's game and that it's unlikely fresh ideas on winning statehood will emerge from this group of veteran loyalists.

The Fatah conference which ended this week crowned Abbas the unchallenged leader, boosting his ability to deal with the West and Arab states.

Apathy is widespread among educated Palestinians in their 20s and 30s. Many won't bother trying to break into what they see a closed political system, especially at a time when there's no realistic path to ending Israel's half-century-old occupation.

Others are left to choose between potentially career-killing involvement in grassroots opposition movements that could even land them in jail or a years-long slog through the ranks of Fatah.

Community organizer Hazem Abu Helal, 33, said he lost interest in the convention after he saw the 81-year-old Abbas re-elected Fatah leader by acclamation.

"Of course there is currently hardly any youth spirit in any Palestinian political body that exists today," says activist Hazem Abu Helal. "Currently the Palestinian factions do not offer any scenario for a clear solution that people can adopt, so politically youth find themselves as the others in the society in a difficult situation to try and end the occupation," he adds.

The stagnation comes at a time of Palestinian fears that the new US administration will embrace Israeli settlement construction on occupied lands sought for a Palestinian state. Donald Trump, the US president-elect, has been vague on how he would handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Fatah's aging leaders, including some still averse to dealing with computers and social media, may not be equipped to deal with change.

Hasan Faraj, head of the Fatah youth wing Shabibhe, lobbied hard before the convention for easing minimum age requirements for candidates for the Central Committee and the second-tier group, the 80-member Revolutionary Council, seen as a stepping stone to eventual positions of influence.

Under the old rules, only those over the age of 48 could run for the Central Committee and only those over the age of 38 were eligible for the lower body. Faraj, 36, succeeded in getting threshold lowered by 10 and five years, respectively, enabling him and others to compete for the first time. As a result, he and another activist of the same age are now the two youngest members of the Revolutionary Council.

"We were able to change the mood in the corridors of the conference in order to put youth issues at the top of the list of priorities of the Fatah movement," he says.

There is considerable overlap between the party and Abbas' self-rule government, the Palestinian Authority, the largest employer in the autonomous enclaves of the West Bank.

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 29 November 2016

1. Wide of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas greeting people on stage at Fatah conference

2. Various of conference attendants (Keffiyeh on head)

3. Wide of stage

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 6 December 2016

4. Various of street and people walking in Ramallah

5. Establisher shot of Hazem Abu Helal, Palestinian activist

6. Close of poster showing a young man's face covered with the Palestinian Keffiyeh

7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hazem Abu Helal, a Palestinian activist:

"The biggest catastrophe that I think exists in our Palestinian society today is the idea of the exclusion of whatever is different than you, the control of the single colour in everything. It is tied to the youth of yesterday and the Palestinian Authority after Oslo (Oslo agreement), the culture that has existed until today is the culture of benefits; that is being done by members of the Palestinian Authority that are against any form of change. And they think that change is dangerous for them, so they won't allow youth participation, and even the youth that they will be allowed to participate are from the same shape and type that believe in the same principles. But of course there is currently hardly any youth spirit in any Palestinian political body that exists today."

8. Poster reading (Arabic) "Palestine International festival"

9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hazem Abu Helal, a Palestinian activist:

"Now there is a lack of hope in the political system that exists today in Palestine, but that doesn't mean a complete loss of hope in making a change. And on the personal level I see that our role as youth is to bring back the hope to the people by achieving even small successes towards change on the bigger political level. In general, there is huge frustration, not only for me, in the current political system, in the economic situation and the social situation in Palestine."

10. Mural on wall showing Palestinian family

11. Establisher shot of Nader Said, a pollster

12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nader Said, a pollster:

"There is no doubt that the situation for the Palestinian youth is tied to political and economic circumstances. From one side there has been a blockage on the political horizon for more than 20 years. Today we are talking about a stalled and retreated peace process, and maintaining the occupation, therefore there is a sense - for the vast majority of the people, especially the young people - that there is no clear solution and there is no specific method to reach a solution to end the occupation. Currently the Palestinian factions do not offer any scenario for a clear solution that people can adopt, so politically youth find themselves as the others in the society in a difficult situation to try and end the occupation. "

13. Wide of Fatah headquarters in Ramallah

14. Close up of yellow Fatah flag

15. Mid of building with Palestinian flag

16. Close of sign (Arabic/English) "Palestinian National Liberation Movement - Fateh Head Quarter"

17. Establisher shot of Hasan Faraj, Secretary General for Fatah youth movement

18. Mid of framed pictures of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat

19. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Hasan Faraj, Secretary General for Fatah youth movement:

"The most important achievement is that we will ensure that in the next conferences there will be a broader representation of the youth, through making decisions that will allow a wider participation for the youth in high percentages. Also we were able to reduce the average age, as this prevents young people from running for leadership positions inside Fatah movement, and those are important achievements. And we were able to change the mood in the corridors of the conference in order to put youth issues at the top of the list of priorities of the Fatah movement."

20. Poster of Arafat

LENGTH: 4:03

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continued his visit to the Middle East on Tuesday, after a threat was made by the Islamic State (IS) group to kill two Japanese hostages unless a 200 million US dollar ransom is paid.

In the West Bank town of Ramallah, Abe laid a wreath on the tomb of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and was welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a ceremony at the presidential compound.

At a joint news conference after talks between the two leaders, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised to work closely with Japan to resolve the crisis.

"We affirm again that we condemn these ugly acts because it contradicts all human morals. We fully offer our full, sincere support in this sad crisis and we stand next to you in order to bring them back to their families safely," Abbas said.

The news brought into sharp, urgent focus terror-related issues that are usually only a distant concern for most Japanese.

Abe, who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on Monday, has cancelled other events on his schedule in the Middle East to focus on the hostage crisis, a Japanese government spokesman said.

He was due to return to Japan on Wednesday.

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 20 Jan 2015

1. Tomb of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat

2. Various of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laying wreath at tomb

3. Abe greeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

4. Abbas and Abe walk towards gazebo at welcoming ceremony

5. Cutaway of flags

6. Various of Abbas and Abe at ceremony

7. Abbas and Abe shaking hands

8. Japanese officials

9. Various of Abbas and Abe during talks

10, Abbas and Abe at news conference

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

"We have received news that two Japanese citizens have been abducted by an extremist terrorist group. We affirm again that we condemn these ugly acts because it contradicts all human morals. We fully offer our full, sincere support in this sad crisis and we stand next to you in order to bring them back to their families safely."

13. Abe and Abbas at news conference

14. Cutaway of cameramen

15. Abbas and Abe leaving news conference

16. Exterior of presidential compound

LEAD IN

A giant Palestinian flag has been unfurled in the West Bank city of Ramallah to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's death.

Palestinians say the flag is also a symbol of their desire for an independent state.

STORYLINE

The flag is 66 metres (216.5 feet) long, each metre symbolising a year since the day Israel was founded from land captured from the Palestinians.

As they carry it through the streets of Ramallah, Palestinians remember their late leader, Yasser Arafat, and the upcoming 10th anniversary of his death.

The flag is also a reminder to the hundreds of Palestinians who have signed it and written messages on it to keep fighting for their own independent nation.

It is the largest flag ever to be unfurled in Ramallah, the present capital of the territory that is claiming statehood.

Sixty-six years have passed since Israel's establishment in 1948, a day the Palestinians call "nakba" or "catastrophe" and which they commemorate every year.

Organisers say the flag made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the largest Palestinian flag when it was first unveiled on Nakba day, May 15 of this year in Montreal, Canada.

"This flag was made by Palestinians in the city of Montreal in Canada and was used there to mark Nakba day in Canada. They were happy to send it as a gift to the Palestinians in their homeland to show unity among Palestinians from all over the world and to use the flag on the anniversary of President Yasser Arafat," says organiser Mohammad Elian.

One participant, Helme Al Araj, says the flag is a symbol of Palestinians' desire to create their own state with Jerusalem as its capital.

"I'm happy to be holding the flag with other Palestinians: students, the young and old, and people my age, who have spent long years in Israeli prisons. We're holding this flag to show that we are united with our homeland and with our flag until we raise it in our capital, Jerusalem," he says.

Palestinians are seeking east Jerusalem, which is home to the city's most sensitive Jewish, Christian and Muslim holy sites, as their future capital.

The participants carry the flag to Arafat's tomb in the Presidential compound and drape it outside, where people can still write messages of support.

"I wrote the name of my school and I wrote 'Freedom for Palestine'. With this I'm sending a message to our occupiers and telling them we want freedom for Palestine because we want to be an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital," says student Jessica Yousef.

Palestine's claim to statehood has been boosted recently by European countries such as Great Britain and Ireland passing resolutions to recognise Palestine as a state alongside the state of Israel.

Although non-binding, the moves seem to signal a change in efforts to strengthen the state of Palestine.

In 2012 the United Nations General Assembly voted to recognise a state of Palestine on territories captured by Israel in 1967, but the United States and many European countries have not followed suit.

But Western politicians have expressed frustration with Israel's continued settlement-building on West Bank land the Palestinians want for a future state.

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 28 October 2014

1. Wide of 66-metre (216.5-foot) long Palestinian flag being spread out on street

2. Close of signatures and handwritten messages on flag

3. Wide of people unfurling and laying down Palestinian flag on street

4. Various of men writing on flag

5. Various of people marching along street holding giant flag

6. Group of people at head of march holding banner, among them, event organiser, Mohammad Elian (left of screen)

7. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mohammad Elian, Organiser:

"This is the longest flag, it's 66 metres long. This flag was made by Palestinians in the city of Montreal in Canada and was used there to mark Nakba day in Canada. They were happy to send it as a gift to the Palestinians in their homeland to show unity among Palestinians from all over the world and to use the flag on the anniversary of (the late Palestinian) President Yasser Arafat. So we march with the flag today from Al-Manarah (square) to the tomb of the late president Yasser Arafat."

8. Various of people walking holding the flag

9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Helme Al Araj, event participant:

"I'm happy to be holding the flag with other Palestinians: students, the young and old, and people my age, who have spent long years in Israeli prisons. We're holding this flag to show that we are united with our homeland and with our flag until we raise it in our capital, Jerusalem."

10. Wide of flag set up outside Palestinian Presidential compound, in front of Arafat's tomb, people standing by it

11. Mid of student Jessica Yousef signing flag

12. Close of Yousef writing (English) "Freedom for Palestine" on flag

13. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jessica Yousef, student:

"I wrote the name of my school and I wrote 'Freedom for Palestine'. With this I'm sending a message to our occupiers and telling them we want freedom for Palestine because we want to be an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital."

14. Wide of people and flag outside the Palestinian presidential compound

15. Messages and signatures on flag

16. Close of writing on flag reading (English): "We will not stop until Palestine (be)come(s) free"

17. Wide of flag outside presidential compound, traffic passing by

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas laid a wreath on Tuesday at the grave of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in a ceremony in Ramallah to mark the tenth anniversary of his death.

In an address to thousands gathered at the presidential compound for the memorial, Abbas accused Israel of provoking a "religious war" by allowing Jewish worshippers to visit a contested holy site in Jerusalem.

"Leaders of Israel make a huge mistake if they think that history can go back and that they can divide al-Aqsa Mosque as they have done in Al-Ibrahimi Mosque (In Hebron), they will retreat from this one too," said Abbas.

Earlier hundreds of Palestinians marched in the streets of Ramallah in Arafat's memory, many waving yellow Fatah flags.

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 11 November 2014

1. Late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's grave

2. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas laying a wreath on Arafat's grave

3. Palestinians gathered, many waving yellow Fatah flags

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

"Leaders of Israel make a huge mistake if they think the history can go back and they can divide al-Aqsa Mosque as they have done in Al-Ibrahimi Mosque (In Hebron), and they will retreat from this one too."

5. Crowd

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

"We have decided to go to the United Nations Security Council this month, and if that (the resolution) does not pass, we are going to sign (and join) all the international organisations and conventions; from the Rome Convention to the International Criminal Court, we will join all of them, we'll sign to protect our people."

7. Mid of people marching holding Arafat's picture

8. Mid of military marching

9. Various of boy scouts marching

10. Palestinians marching with yellow Fatah flags

11. Mid of march

12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jawad Awwad, Palestinian Health Minister:

"Arafat is our martyr and symbol, we all will continue his path. Today we remember him because he is an international figure and symbol."

13. Various of march

14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Azam Abu Rashed, 19 year old from Tulkarem:

++AUDIO AS INCOMING++

"I knew Arafat through my father, everybody knows him in Lebanon, Algeria, the West Bank and he is the one who established the Palestinian Authority and it is an honour to be a Fatah member like Arafat."

15. Palestinians holding banner of Arafat as cars drive past

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of crowd, people wearing yellow Fatah headbands, gathered for 42nd anniversary of establishment of Fatah

2. Various of gunmen on stage

3. Officials gathered

4. Children holding toy guns

5. Close up on poster of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas

6. Various of crowd

7. Gunmen at stage

8. Gunmen walking through crowd

9. Gunmen shooting into air

10. Various of crowd

STORYLINE:

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank village of Azoun, near Qalqiliya, on Thursday to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of the establishment of the Fatah movement.

Many in the crowd wore yellow baseball caps and headbands to show their allegiance of Fatah.

The Fatah movement was established in January 1965 and led Palestinian independence until the last parliamentary elections held in March 2005 when the opposing Hamas party won.

Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas is currently trying to pursue talks about forming a unified government with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of the Hamas party.

Abbas hopes a coalition between the Islamic militant Hamas and his more moderate Fatah would persuade the West to lift painful sanctions it imposed on the current Hamas-led government for refusing to disarm and recognise Israel's right to exist.

Months of coalition talks failed to produce an agreement, and the rivalry between the two factions has recently spiralled into deadly internecine fighting that has claimed many lives.

SHOTLIST

1. Exterior of conference building

2. Security snipers on roof

3. Close up of sign reading: (Arabic,English) "Partners for change - Palestinians investment conference Bethlehem 2008"

4. People outside building

5. Security on roof

6. Palestinian security vehicles at parking lot

7. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad arriving to conference

8. Guests including Palestinian businessmen and foreign investors in conference hall

9. Abbas and Fayyad sitting at lunch with attendants applauding

10. Various of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas walking to podium

11. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian president:

"Investment in Palestine will give a chance to Arab and foreign companies and investors, a chance to contribute in achieving and laying foundation for the peace process and stability in the Middle East"

12. Pan of crowd

STORYLINE

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, opening an investment conference on Wednesday, urged foreign businesses to spend their money in the Palestinian economy in the service of peace, but warned of a bumpy road to recovery.

The conference drew hundreds of foreign investors, along with their Palestinian counterparts, who are seeking partners for 109 projects worth nearly 2 (b) billion US dollars.

Deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars (euros) were to be announced during the three-day conference, including housing projects involving companies from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The Bethlehem conference is a follow-up to December's gathering of international donor countries in Paris, where they pledged 7.7 (b) billion US dollars in aid to the Palestinians over three years.

Abbas urged the guests to invest in the Palestinian areas, and promised that their money would be safe.

In the past, the Palestinian Authority under Abbas' predecessor Yasser Arafat had been plagued by official mismanagement and corruption.

Abbas said investing in a future Palestinian state "contributes to laying the foundation for peace and stability in the Middle East."

The World Bank says the aid can be effective only if coupled with a Palestinian economic recovery.

Such a recovery depends, to a large extent, on an easing of Israeli movement restrictions on the West Bank, the bank says. So far, Israel has not eased its closure regime significantly, insisting it needs roadblocks and restrictions to stop Palestinian attackers.

Investors might be reluctant to spend millions in the turbulent Palestinian territories, with peace prospects still uncertain.

Also, Israel controls entry into the Palestinian territories.

Israel is supportive of the conference and issued more than 500 visas and permits to foreign investors.

However, Palestinians with foreign passports, who are already doing business in the West Bank, have complained of unclear Israeli policies concerning the right of entry.

The conference opened at a luxury hotel in Bethlehem, amid some organisational difficulties.

The sound system broke down during the playing of the Palestinian anthem, ahead of Abbas' speech.

Palestinian security blocked access roads and directed traffic, as dark limousines carrying the

guests drove up to the hotel.

Fifteen countries sent official delegations to the conference.

Saudi Arabia was asked to send an envoy but declined, conference organiser Hassan Abu Libdeh said.

However, Saudi Arabia is preparing to invest in the Palestinian territories.

The Palestinian economy has been in a downturn since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in 2000, leading to double-digit unemployment and deepening poverty.

A recent World Bank forecast said the Palestinian economy is likely to remain stagnant, in part because of Israel's reluctance to ease movement restrictions amid ongoing security concerns.

Gaza's situation is particularly dire, and a year of near-complete closure following Hamas' violent takeover has wiped out tens of thousands of jobs.

More than 100 Gaza business people attended the conference, and Gaza projects were included in the catalogue, but it was not clear how they could get off the ground during a blockade.

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide of presidential band marching near mausoleum

2. Mid shot of grave in mausoleum

3. Wide tilt down from mosque to mausoleum

4. Close up of sign on mausoleum

5. Wide exterior of guard outside mausoleum

6. Mid of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (in red tie) and Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad arriving at the grave

7. Mid of mausoleum

8. Mid of Abbas laying wreath at mausoleum

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

"We will continue with our quest to have the body of our martyr and leader Yasser Arafat re-buried in Jerusalem, where he always wanted to be buried; in Jerusalem, where he was born, In Jerusalem where he struggled. And now we all struggle to stay true to our pledge to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, god willing."

10. Wide of mausoleum

11. Mid of Abbas leaving

12. Tilt down mausoleum

STORYLINE:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas unveiled a mausoleum for Yasser Arafat on Saturday, in a pomp-filled ceremony that helped him draw on the continued popularity of his iconic predecessor as he headed into peace talks with Israel.

The mausoleum, made of glass and beige Jerusalem stone, is surrounded on three sides by water, and a piece of rail track is entombed underneath the former Palestinian leader's grave.

The water and piece of track are meant to symbolise the temporary nature of the grave, officials said, with Palestinians planning to rebury their leader one day in Jerusalem, their hoped-for capital.

Arafat died in November 11, 2004 in a French military hospital and was buried on the grounds of his West Bank headquarters, now used by Abbas.

The mausoleum measures 11 metres by 11 metres (120 square feet) to mark the day of his death. A mosque was built next to the tomb, and an Arafat museum is to open next year.

During the ceremony, Abbas laid a wreath in the colours of the Palestinian flag on the tombstone and honoured his one-time rival with a moment of silence.

In a brief speech Abbas pledged to reclaim part of Jerusalem for his people.

The fate of the city, claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians as a capital, is one of the most explosives issues in peace talks, expected to resume after a US-hosted Mideast conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this month.

"We will continue with our quest to have the body of our martyr and leader Yasser Arafat re-buried in Jerusalem, where he always wanted to be buried; in Jerusalem, where he was born," Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said.

In another reference to Jerusalem, the tower of the mosque next to the mausoleum is topped by a laser light pointing to the city, just a few miles away, said Mohammed Ishtayeh, head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, which built the site.

Drawing on the legacy of the charismatic Arafat may give a boost to Abbas as he heads to the Annapolis conference, expected to begin on November 26.

The somber Abbas does not enjoy the wild popularity of Arafat.

Abbas also faces a stiff challenge from the Islamic militant Hamas which seized control of Gaza by force in June, and claims he does not have the mandate to negotiate for the Palestinians.

In Saturday's speech, Abbas drew on the Palestinians' strong emotional ties to Arafat.

"Now we all struggle to stay true to our pledge to establish an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, god willing," Abbas said.

On Sunday, the third anniversary of Arafat's death, a large rally is to be held at the West Bank compound, followed by a similar gathering Monday in Gaza.

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on Thursday warned that a single state under which there would be different systems of rule imposed on Israelis and Palestinians will be a form of apartheid and unsustainable.

Erekat said a one state solution would have to mean equal democratic rights for all people.

It follows US President Donald Trump's suggestion that a two-state solution to the conflict with Israel is optional.

Trump, with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his side at the White House on Wednesday, withheld clear support for an independent Palestinian country and declared that he could support a one-state solution that produces peace.

The Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast War.

Ramallah, West Bank – 16 February 2017

1. Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat in his office

2. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator:

"If we will be forced to talk about a one state solution, it has to be one democratic secular state where Jews, Muslims and Christians are equal and I think (US) President Trump will not accept that one will be better than the other, it's not fair."

3. Portraits of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator:

"What (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is thinking about, the one state-two systems, the military government imposed on Palestinians is apartheid. This is not doable in the twenty-first century, this is not sustainable in the twenty-first century, so undermining the two state solution will spell disaster on Palestinians and Israelis and that's the truth."

5. Erekat at his office

SHOTLIST:

1.Relatives gathered around body in hospital

2. Relative kissing body

3. Palestinian youth crying

4. More of relatives kissing body

5. Palestinians gathered in hospital to which body was brought

6. Palestinian woman, relative of the Palestinian who was killed, crying in hospital entrance

7. Body being carried from hospital to nearby morgue as Palestinians chant slogans

++NIGHT SHOTS++

8. Various of procession headed by gunmen

9. Gunmen at procession

10. End shot of procession

STORYLINE:

Israeli troops shot and killed a wanted gunman near Jenin on Tuesday, the army said.

The incident occurred in the northern West Bank village of Kufr al-Dan.

Residents identified the man as 24 year-old Mohammed Morai, the leader of a new militant group linked to a Fatah group called the "Yasser Arafat Brigades."

The body was first taken to the nearest hospital in Jenin. Afterwards, the body was returned to Kufr al-Dan where people paraded his body through the streets of the village, vowing revenge.

SHOTLIST:

Bituniya, near Ramallah

1. Wide shot of buses carrying released prisoners arriving at the Palestinian side of Bituniya, crowd waiting, zoom in to prisoners leaning out of bus windows waving Palestinian flags

2. Released prisoner waving flag out of bus windows, pull out to wide of buses approaching

3. People crowding at bus windows, former inmate leaning out to kiss a child, man leaping up to kiss a released detainee

4. Wide of convoy of buses and cars driving through countryside

5. Female prisoners leaning out of bus windows holding pictures, flags and making the "v" sign

6. Convoy driving through Ramallah street

Ramallah

7. Wide of buses carrying Palestinian prisoners arriving at the Muqata (presidential compound) UPSOUND: crowd whistling and cheering

8. Pull out from men standing on roof of buses waving flags to wide of buses moving into compound

9. Relatives walking alongside buses UPSOUND: buses sounding horns

10. Wide top shot of buses moving into parking spaces, UPSOUND: crowd cheering, buses sounding horns

11. Pan across parked buses, released prisoners leaning out of bus windows to embrace loved ones

12. Man in bus being kissed and embraced

Ramallah

13. Various of released prisoners getting off the bus

Ramallah

14. Wide of released detainees walking through two lines of soldiers

15. Wide of crowd outside building, listening to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

16. Various of Abbas addressing crowd

Ramallah

17. Official standing next to shrine for late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat

18. Released man greeting family, kissing child

19. Various of clapping and celebrating, with prisoners being carried on shoulders of supporters

20. Various of Abbas and other officials at Friday prayers

STORYLINE:

More than 250 Palestinians prisoners released by Israel on Friday were given a heroes' welcome as they entered Palestinian territories.

Friday's release began shortly after daybreak when the shackled prisoners left the Ketziot prison camp in southern Israel and boarded buses with darkened windows that took them to the West Bank.

Six female prisoners were among those released.

The women were serving sentences ranging from one to five years, mostly for illegal possession of weapons.

Emotional greetings awaited them as the buses entered the Palestinian side of Bituniya, and prisoners leaned out of buses to kiss and embrace waiting supporters.

Later on Friday, they were warmly welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as they arrived at the presidential compound in Ramallah.

Several thousand onlookers cheered, clapped and honked car horns as the buses rolled into Abbas' headquarters.

Prisoners leaned out of bus windows and hoisted Palestinian flags.

Former inmates climbed onto the roof of the first bus as it pulled into the compound, flashing v-signs representing victory.

Prisoners inside the buses stretched their hands through the windows, which were grabbed and kissed by emotional supporters.

There were emotional reunions with family members and much celebrating after the released detainees got off the buses.

Prisoners were hoisted onto the shoulders of dancing supporters, before they performed noon prayers in a large, open-sided tent.

Most of those freed were from Abbas' Fatah movement.

Prominent among the freed prisoners is 61-year-old Abdel Rahim Malouh, second in command in a small PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organisation) faction, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which assassinated an Israeli Cabinet minister in 2001.

Abbas gave an emotional address before joining the Friday prayers in the tent.

Israeli and Palestinian officials said they hoped the release marked a new chapter in relations, following seven years of bloody fighting.

The new cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian leadership was driven, in part, by the violent takeover of Gaza by Hamas last month.

The move by Israel was aimed at bolstering Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas.

Israel holds about 9,200 Palestinian prisoners, most of whom were arrested during the past seven years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.

Almost every Palestinian family has had a member in Israeli jails at some point, and the fate of the prisoners is one of the most emotionally charged issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

For Palestinians, the prisoners are heroes in the struggle for statehood, and large-scale prisoner releases are seen as an effective way for Israel to back Abbas in his confrontation with the Islamic militants who took the Gaza Strip by force last month.

However, Israel refuses to free inmates serving time for wounding or killing Israelis, in part for fear of a public outcry.

None of the prisoners being freed on Friday was directly involved in attacks on Israelis, according to Israeli officials.

Stung by a resounding defeat in the UN Security Council, the Palestinian president announced on Wednesday that they had joined the International Criminal Court to pursue war crimes charges against Israel.

The Security Council rejected a resolution setting a three-year deadline for Israel to withdraw from all occupied lands claimed by the Palestinians.

The move by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas set the stage for a diplomatic showdown with the United States and drew an angry response from Israel.

Abbas has been under heavy domestic pressure to take action against Israel following months of tensions fuelled by the collapse of US-brokered peace talks, a 50-day war between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, a spate of deadly Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets, and Israeli restrictions on Palestinian access to a key Muslim holy site in Jerusalem.

Tuesday's defeat in the UN Security Council further raised pressure on Abbas to act.

"We want to complain. There's aggression against us, against our land. The Security Council has disappointed us," Abbas said as he gathered a meeting of the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank.

After two decades of failed, on-again, off-again peace talks, the Palestinians have grown disillusioned and decided to seek international recognition of their independence in various global bodies.

While the campaign does not change the situation on the ground, the Palestinians believe the strong international support will put pressure on Israel to allow the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

Israel, which captured the three areas in 1967, says Palestinian independence can only be reached through negotiations.

It opposes the Palestinian diplomatic campaign as an attempt to bypass negotiations.

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah, West Bank - 31 December 2014

++NIGHT SHOTS++

1. Wide of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas laying a wreath at tomb of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat

2. Close of Arafat's tombstone

3. Wide of festival celebrating the Palestinian revolution

4. Various of festival

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

"We got vetoed. This is not the first and not the last veto. We are steadfast until we get back our rights. They don't want to give us our rights. The rights are not given; the rights are taken away. The (United Nations) Security Council is not the end of the world, and the last session is not the end. What we have to say, and what we have to do, will begin tonight."

6. Boy holding Fatah flag held up in crowd

7. Various of Palestinian leadership meeting

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

"I am signing this to join the International (Criminal) Court. We want to complain. There's aggression against us, against our land. The Security Council has disappointed us."

9. Cutaway meeting

10. Abbas signing papers

11. Cutaway of meeting

12. Pull out to wide of meeting

13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mustafa Barghouti, member of Palestinian Legislative Council:

"In response to what happened in the Security Council, the Palestinian leadership decided to sign 20 different agreements including joining the International Criminal Court. This will allow every Palestinian from now on, and every human rights organisation in the world to hold the Israeli officials accountable for the war crimes and crimes against humanity that they have committed in the Palestinian territories."

14. Exterior of Palestinian presidential office

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide exterior of Ramallah compound

2. Palestinian flag flying with face picture of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat

3. Wide of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas sitting with Vatican ambassador to the Holy Land, Pietro Sambi

4. UPSOUND: (English) Pietro Sambi, Vatican Ambassador to the Holy Land:

"To work for peace."

5. UPSOUND: (English): Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian leader:

"We hope in the near future, peace will prevail."

6. Sambi leaving

7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Pietro Sambi, Vatican ambassador to the Holy Land:

"In front of a person who is fighting for life, the unique respectful attitude is silence and prayer."

8. Sambi getting into car

STORYLINE:

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas met with the Vatican ambassador to the Holy Land, Pietro Sambi, in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Saturday.

After the meeting Sambi commented on the condition of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"In front of a person who is fighting for life, the unique respectful attitude is silence and prayer," he said.

Sharon suffered a major stroke on Wednesday, and underwent emergency surgery on Thursday and Friday to stop bleeding in the brain and relieve swelling inside the skull.

During the meeting Pietro Sambi encouraged the Palestinian leader to work towards peace in the Middle East.

"We hope in the near future, peace will prevail," Abbas said.

Palestinian officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah marked the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday on Monday, which ends the fasting month of Ramadan.

After morning prayers Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and other officials laid a wreath at late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's grave.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Hamdallah called upon the international community to demand Israel to stop their "aggression" on the Gaza Strip.

Hamdallah also said his government will continue "to reach out to the international institutions and human rights organisations" to pressure Israel to stop the airstrikes and to investigate Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

So far the three-week long conflict has killed 1,030 Palestinians and 43 Israeli soldiers.

AP TELEVISION

Ramallah

1. Various of Palestinian officials during prayers

2. Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah (striped blue tie)

3. Officials praying

4. Hamdallah praying

5. Various of officials praying

6. Hamdallah inspecting honour guard

7. Hamdallah laying wreath at late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's mausoleum

8. Close of Arafat's grave

9. Hamdallah walking up to reporter

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

"Palestinians demand an urgent cease-fire to stop the attacks on our children and people in the Gaza Strip. This abuse must stop at all costs. We call upon all international institutions and countries to call on Israel to stop this aggression immediately, so that we can save what can still be saved in the Gaza Strip."

11. Hamdallah shaking hands with officials

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

"We offered this to the UN Security Council to make a decision. But unfortunately they did not come to a decision. We are going to continue to reach out to the international institutions and human rights organisations. Now we put our trust in this until we are able to go to international criminal courts with evidence of the crimes that are happening across the Gaza Strip day and night."

13. Palestinian presidential compound

14. Various of families at cemetery, praying by graves

15. Fence of cemetery

LEAD IN:

A Palestinian artist is using an unusual medium to produce his work.

Yazan Ghareeb paints using coffee - he says it has a strong link with Middle Eastern history.

STORY-LINE:

A stove, a little silver pot and some coffee granules.

But Yazan Ghareeb isn't craving a caffeine fix.

He's an artist and this is his chosen painting material.

After a quick taste, he dips his brush into the liquid and gets to work.

Ghareeb began this unusual style while studying at Syria's Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts.

A lack of funds and a delay in receiving money transfers from his family forced him to explore new methods.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," he says.

"There was a drawing exam that I had to finish so I was compelled to use the coffee to paint my portraits."

That was back in 2010, and Ghareeb is continuing to use coffee to forge a career as an artist.

He feels painting with the liquid fosters a deep connection with his Palestinian heritage.

"We used to drink a cup of coffee every day in the morning as a Middle Eastern custom, so I try to draw the old cities in Palestine from 1900 by using this cup of coffee to connect between the old history of Palestine and the coffee," he explains.

"And as I remember to drink a cup of coffee every day in the morning, I want people to remember the history of Palestine."

Ghareeb's first exhibition was called 'Flavour of Spirit' and took place in Bethlehem last month.

His coffee paintings were displayed at the Russian Centre for Science and Culture.

Several of the works were snapped up by art lovers - the most expensive went for 1,500 US dollars.

HD version available in \\Source_Clips\Newsroom Failures

Bethlehem, West Bank - 19 May 2016

1. Various of artist Yazan Ghareeb making coffee on stove in his studio

2. Pull out of Ghareeb drinking coffee

3. Close of Ghareeb dipping paint brush into coffee

4. Various of Ghareeb painting with coffee

5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yazan Ghareeb, artist

"Necessity is the mother of invention. There was a delay in the money transfer from my family when I was studying in the Art Institute in Syria and also my family were not sending me enough money and there was a drawing exam that I had to finish so I was compelled to use the coffee to paint my portraits."

6. Wide of Ghareeb holding up framed painting

7. Close of painting of the Dome of the Rock

8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yazan Ghareeb, artist:

"I did several paintings with the coffee and I called them 'Flavour of Spirit'. We used to drink a cup of coffee every day in the morning as a Middle Eastern custom, so I try to draw the old cities in Palestine from 1900 by using this cup of coffee to connect between the old history of Palestine and the coffee. And as I remember to drink a cup of coffee every day in the morning, I want people to remember the history of Palestine."

9. Various Ghareeb painting portrait of the late Palestinian President Yasser Arafat

10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Yazan Ghareeb, artist:

"We like coffee, we drink coffee every day but as I enjoy drinking coffee I am trying to make people enjoy the taste of the coffee in my portraits."

11. Various of Ghareeb and his artwork in his studio

SHOTLIST:

1. Various of Israeli soldiers running through streets holding rifles

2. Soldiers gathered in the entrance of a local shop

3. Palestinian children running away

4. Israeli soldiers crouched pointing their guns

5. Palestinian couple running UPSOUND: Explosion

6. Israeli soldier throwing a stun grenade at a building

7. Soldiers running

8. Soldiers patrolling

9. Soldiers firing tear gas shells

10. Young Palestinian boy walking with his faced covered over

11. Various of Palestinian youths throwing stones at Israeli soldiers

12. Israeli soldier firing back a tear gas shell

13. Tear gas shell smoking

14. Palestinian youth throwing stones at soldiers

STORYLINE:

Israeli soldiers clashed with Palestinian youths in the West Bank city of Hebron on Tuesday.

The soldiers fired stun grenades and tear gas towards the Palestinian demonstrators who threw stones back at them.

The clashes coincided with a rally in which several thousand Palestinians gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Witnesses said ambulance crews were later called to treat several demonstrators injured in the clashes.

Tuesday's official memorial for the iconic Palestinian leader was held at the Muqata, Arafat's old headquarters and the government compound of his successor Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah.

Many of the thousands on hand in Ramallah were school students bussed in by Abbas' Fatah movement.

The anniversary also served as a reminder that the Palestinians are no closer to independence than they were at the time of Arafat's death.

LEADIN:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he hopes that the shrine of Yasser Arafat will one day be moved to East Jerusalem - "the capital of the State of Palestine."

He was speaking at the Arafat Museum in Ramallah, to coincide with the ten year anniversary of the death of the Palestinian leader.

STORYLINE:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives at the Arafat museum.

He's the guest of honour at an inauguration event, marking the completion of renovations at the site.

It is not known when the museum will re-open to the public.

Built inside the former Palestinian leader's compound - known as the Muqata - the museum houses artefacts from Yasser Arafat's life.

But his kaffiyeh, Quran and other personal belongings have been packed away while the museum has been under going work.

Arafat's tomb is also on the site of the museum, guarded day and night by soldiers in the pristine mausoleum.

Ten years after his death, Abbas hopes that Arafat's remains will one day be moved to East Jerusalem - the symbolic capital of a Palestinian state.

"With God's will, the shrine (of Arafat) will be transferred to Jerusalem, the capital of the State Palestine, in the heart of this city," Abbas tells the audience.

In his four decades as Palestinian leader, Arafat was a complex and often divisive figure - branded by some as a "terrorist" and celebrated by others as the father of the Palestinian national movement.

In his final years Arafat was unable to leave his compound, encircled by Israeli forces after a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings killed dozens of Israelis in 2002.

He was flown out in a helicopter, two weeks before his death on 11 November 2004.

At the museum, singing and prayers round off the evening's ceremony.

It is part of a number of celebrations to commemorate Arafat's life.

But even today his name is still divisive.

On Sunday, the Hamas militant group forced the cancellation of a Gaza memorial, underscoring the lingering tensions with the rival Fatah movement despite the formation of a unity government meant to end years of hostilities.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry, which is still dominated by Hamas, said it had informed Fatah it could not provide security for the rally.

Tuesday's event was meant to have been the first time that Fatah, the Palestinian movement founded by Arafat, held a memorial rally in Gaza, since Hamas seized power in the coastal strip in 2007.

At the previous memorial, held months after the Hamas takeover, at least 10 people were killed in clashes.

AP Television

Ramallah, West Bank - 9 November 2014

1. Wide of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas entering room where ceremony is taking place

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

"With God's will, the shrine (of Arafat) will be transferred to Jerusalem, the capital of the State Palestine, in the heart of this city."

3. Tracking shot of Abbas leaving stage

4. Various of choir singing

5. Various reverse shots of audience listening

6. Pan across choir singing

7. Close-up of man filming choir on mobile phone

8. Wide of audience applauding singers

9. Pan across audience during prayers at ceremony

10. Wide of ceremony

11. Mid of Abbas leaving after ceremony has finished

++NIGHT SHOTS++

12. Mid of Arafat museum lit up as guests leave

13. Mid of soldiers standing to attention in Arafat's mausoleum

14. Wide of Arafat's mausoleum lit up

SHOTLIST

1. Wide exterior of Palestinian Ministry of Finance, Ramallah

2. Mid of signage on outside of building reads (English) Ministry of Finance

3. Set up of Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Finance minister sitting in office

4. SOUNDBITE (English) Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Finance minister:

"But now we can receive money directly through this account, and the account is now fully operational. We have received some funds and we actually have disbursed out of that account less than days of last month and we are about to disburse salaries this week out of that account, so now it's fully operational."

QUESTION: "When did it start working?"

"Around mid May."

4. Close of Fayyad's hands clasped during interview

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Finance minister:

"We have received so far to this account 50 (m) million dollars from Saudi Arabia, directly from Saudi Arabia. We have also used that account to disburse a payment to teachers for salaries, using money coming in from Qatar - that did not come directly from Qatar because it had already been sent through previous channels, but it was transferred to this account but we used this account to disburse it. More recently, we have received 80 (m) million dollars from United Arab Emirates, directly to this account - money we are going to use to disburse salaries this week."

6. Cutaway of photos on wall showing the late former Palestinian National Authority President, Yasser Arafat and current President of the Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Finance minister:

"So as a legal matter, there is now full possibility of having money transferred directly to us without risk that that money might be intercepted, seized or otherwise the act of transfer causing banks doing the transactions any trouble with the correspondent banks."

8. Close of Fayyad's hands clasped during interview

9. SOUNDBITE (English) Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Finance minister:

"There are obviously political considerations that have so far gotten into the way of that normalisation. So the technical and legal issues that have gotten in the way of normalisation, have been dealt with. The political issues are still there. Nevertheless what we are seeking to accomplish is working closely with the EU (European Union) hopefully to get to that point in the not to distant future, whereby they are able to transfer money to us directly."

10. Cutaway of journalist's hands taking notes during interview

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Salam Fayyad, Palestinian Finance minister:

"While doing this we will be keeping an eye on the future, thinking that there has to be a better tomorrow for everybody. For both of us - Palestinians and Israelis. We try to have a longer-term outlook in terms of where we are headed. Where we are right now, is an extremely difficult and dangerous situation and I hope that its sufficiently appreciated by everyone. If it is and to the extent that it is, I think a much better effort should be made toward resolving the issues that get in the way of normalisation leading ultimately to settling this issue."

12. Mid of Fayyad sitting at his desk

STORYLINE

A new PLO account established to bypass an international boycott of Hamas has begun disbursing tens of millions of foreign aid, including

partial salaries for Palestinian civil servants, the new Palestinian finance minister said in an interview on Sunday.

The fund was established in mid-May as a channel for foreign aid, said Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, an independent.

Hamas is not a member of the PLO, the Palestinians' political umbrella group.

"We can receive money directly through this account, and the account is now fully operational. We have received some funds and we actually have disbursed out of that account," Fayyad said during an interview.

The new arrangement allows for funds to be transferred to the PLO account, without banks violating U.S. anti-terror regulations.

The U.S. and European Union have branded Hamas a terrorist group.

Hamas took control of the Palestinian politics in January 2006, in surprise victory during the Palestinian elections.

Fayyad said the new account was established in May as a channel for foreign aid.

"There is now full possibility of having money transferred directly to us without risk that that money might be intercepted," Fayyad explained.

So far, 50 (m) million US dollars has been received from Saudi Arabia, and 80 (m) million US dollars from United Arab Emirates.

"Money we are going to use to disburse salaries this week," Fayyad promised.

A further 44 (m) million US dollars has been received from Qatar, and 10 (m) million from Norway.

Fayyad has not yet received a commitment of aid from the European Union (EU) but explained that the Palestinian Treasury is "working

closely with the EU hopefully to get to that point in the not to distant future."

During a year of Hamas rule, the 165,000 strong government staff received only partial salaries as a result of a foreign aid boycott.

Last fall, the European Union began sending aid payments directly to Palestinians, sidestepping the Hamas government.

In March, Hamas brought the Fatah movement of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas into the government in hopes of ending the boycott.

However, many foreign donors remain reluctant to resume the full flow of aid, because Hamas continues to reject demands that it recognise Israel

and renounce violence.

SHOTLIST

Jenin, West Bank - 19 June 2007

1. Wide of Jenin square filled with protesters holding up banners

2. Close-up of veiled Palestinian woman

3. Mid shot of anti-Hamas protesters marching and holding up flags

4. Various of people marching in anti-Hamas demo, some carrying guns

5. Protesters during Muslim prayer

6. Long shot of protesters raising their right hands in front of building draped with large banner with late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's portrait

Ramallah, West Bank - 20 June 2007

7. Security at Manara square

8. Various of security personnel on street

9. People walking on sidewalk

10. Various of fruit and vegetable market in central Ramallah

11. Palestinian flag waving on palm tree

12. Exterior shot of Palestinian Independent Committee for Citizen Rights (PICCR) building

13. Set up shot of Majed Arouri, programme manager for Palestinian Independent Committee for Citizen Rights:

14. SOUNDBITE: (English) Majed Arouri, programme manager for Palestinian Independent Committee for Citizen Rights:

"After Hamas succeeded to (take) control (of) the Gaza Strip, geographically and of the people, now it seems (to be) the effective power in the Gaza Strip. I think it is their (Hamas') responsibility to keep all rights for all citizens inside the Gaza Strip, especially the life rights. I think Hamas is responsible for all the violation (of human rights) inside Gaza Strip at this time."

15. End shot at Arouri

Hebron, West Bank - 20 June 2007

16. Wide shot of Hebron city skyline with several mosque minarets

17. Medium shot of minaret draped with with poster showing portrait of late Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin

18. Wide shot of street with graffiti on wall of mosque by Hebron street

19. Graffiti reading in Arabic "Welcome to Hebron, city of Hamas"

20. Police patrol

21. Veiled women walking in street

22. Wide of fountain in square

Nablus, West Bank - 18 June 2007

23. Set up shot for Khuloud al Masri, Nablus council representative for Hamas

24. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) Khouloud al-Masri, Hamas member of the Nablus municipal council

"Reality speaks for itself. Simply, people who have Islamic affiliations or have beards or are supporters of Islamic groups, clearly are being chased and hunted."

(Q: By who?)

"By masked men, by different groups that have different names, whether they are Al Aqsa Brigades or others."

Ramallah, West Bank - 20 June 2007

25. Home of Hamas lawmaker Abdel Aziz Dweik damaged by arson

26. Medium shot of burned house of Hamas lawmaker Abdel Aziz Dweik

27. Various of damaged interior in Dweik's house

28. Dweik's wife showing burned room

FILE: Ramallah, West Bank - 13 June 2006

29. Medium shot of Hamas lawmaker Abdel Aziz Dweik at news conference

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Abdel Aziz Dweik, Hamas lawmaker:

"The United States put for itself a platform, or agenda, in order to make this government, the Palestinian government, which has been elected democratically, to collapse within three to six months."

FILE: Israeli military court, Ofer Camp, near Jerusalem - 6 July 2006

31. Exterior shot of Ofer prison and military camp

32. Soldiers at gate to military court

33. Arrested Hamas lawmakers entering court, Hamas lawmaker Ahmad Abu al Tier in centre, with red beard

FILE: Ramallah, West Bank - date unknown

34. Wide of news conference with poster of arrested Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti on wall, Barghouti's wife Fadwa Barghouti sitting left on table

FILE: Tel Aviv, Israel - date unknown

35. Various of Marwan Barghouti in Israeli courtroom

STORYLINE

The political split between Gaza and Ramallah in the wake of the Hamas putsch in the Gaza Strip and the dissolution of the government have created uncertainty in the West Bank, the larger of the two Palestinian enclaves, where the mainstream Fatah movement still holds sway.

In the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinians took to the streets on Tuesday to express their support for the Fatah movement and their displeasure at Hamas.

Hundreds marched the streets holding up banners and Palestinian flags, along with the red and yellow banners of the DFLP (Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine) and Fatah movements.

Palestinians find themselves having to choose whether their future will lie with a fundamentalist religious movement, or remain a nationalist movement along the lines of the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation).

Until now the divisions between Fatah and Hamas have been mostly ideological - now these differences are being reinforced by geography.

Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza, the Palestinians now have two rival governments; President Mahmoud Abbas' Western-backed government in the West Bank and the Hamas rulers of Gaza.

The international community, as well as Israel, has embraced Abbas, offering immediate resumption of aid and the release of frozen tax funds respectively.

In contrast, the Islamic militant Hamas government has been shunned.

Isolated Gaza is one of the poorest, most overcrowded territories on earth and now under the control of the Islamic militant movement.

The West Bank is more secular, diverse and outward looking. Many families have relatives in the United States, Europe or the Gulf states.

Despite economic hardships, many people in the West Bank prosper through trade or by periodically working overseas. A Palestinian stock exchange operates in Nablus, the largest city the West Bank.

Majed Arouri, a political analyst and programme manager of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens Rights (PICCR), expressed his concern about how Hamas will secure equal civil rights for all the citizens of Gaza.

He told AP Television in his Ramallah office on Wednesday that he saw Hamas as failing in its "responsibility to keep all rights for all citizens inside Gaza Strip."

In his opinion, added Arouri, "Hamas is responsible for all the violation inside Gaza Strip."

The lifting this week of an international aid embargo by the US and EU will see a rush of foreign assistance and investment into the West Bank, but not Hamas-controlled Gaza.

There is support in the West Bank for Hamas - its local representatives did well in the January 2006 elections that brought Hamas to power - but many people are worried that the territory, still under Israeli occupation, could go the same way as Gaza.

Ramallah is a busy city in the midst of a construction boom. Three refugee camps created in the late 1940s have melded into urban neighbourhoods.

Restaurants serving alcohol stay open late and wealthy teenagers cruise in expensive cars. But at the entrance to Hebron, the second-largest city, a huge piece of graffiti announces, "Welcome to the city of Hamas".

Khouloud al-Masri, who is a Hamas member of the Nablus municipal council, on Monday voiced her concern that Hamas supporters in the West Bank were already being targeted by all other factions.

"People who have Islamic affiliations or have beards or are supporters of Islamic groups, clearly are being chased and hunted... by different groups that have different names, whether they are Al Aqsa Brigades or others," she said.

And it appears her worries are not unfounded. In a wave of violent outbursts against Hamas targets in the West Bank, masked militants set fire to the house of former Hamas lawmaker Abdel Aziz Dweik earlier this week.

Dweik, alongside other Hamas lawmakers from East Jerusalem and the West Bank, is currently being held in an Israeli jail, probably the safest place for them to be at present.

Marwan Barghouti, the West Bank leader of President Mahmoud Abbas' moderate Fatah movement is also in prison, serving five consecutive life terms in Israel after he was arrested in April 2002 and charged with murder and belonging to what the israelis deemed a "terrorist organisation".

However, many Palestinians maintain that the charges were fictitious and politically motivated. Barghouti's name often appears on lists of prisoners the Palestinians want to swap with Israel, but his release seems out of reach.

Barghouti, seen as a possible successor to Abbas, and the future leader of an independent Palestine. has close ties to Israeli peace activists and is seen by many Palestinians as a man capable of gathering broad support.

Before the second Palestinian uprising began in 2000, Barghouti was viewed as a moderating influence among Palestinians, pushing for peace talks and a Palestinian state next to Israel.

Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli police in East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank on Friday as funerals were held for those killed in the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank.

In East Jerusalem, hundreds of Palestinians protested in the traditionally Arab area of the city after Friday prayers.

Protesters threw rocks and fireworks at Israeli police, who fired rubber bullets back. Thousands of Israeli security forces had been deployed for possible Palestinian protests.

It was a similar scene in the West Bank, which has become increasingly restive over Israel's Gaza operation, in which more than 800 Palestinians have been killed and more than 5,200 wounded since July 8, according to Palestinian health officials.

In Ramallah in the West Bank and Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza, hundreds gathered for the funerals of those killed in recent violence.

Hamas supporters in Ramallah also waved green Hamas flags and called for an end to military operations in the Gaza Strip.

AP TELEVISION

Wadi Joz neighbourhood, East Jerusalem

1. Israeli police chasing rioters down street AUDIO: Gunfire

2. Tyres burning on road, police running down street AUDIO: Gunfire

3. Various of police detaining rioter AUDIO: Gunfire

4. Police standing at end of street

5. Police crouched by rubbish skip, firing rubber bullets at rioters

6. Various of burning tyres on road

7. Police helicopter in air

Beit El checkpoint, outskirts of Ramallah, West Bank

8. Palestinian protesters throwing stones at Israeli soldiers

9. Soldiers firing towards Palestinians

10. Protesters throwing rocks

11. Soldiers running towards protesters

12. Soldier crouching by vehicle firing at protesters

13. Protesters near burning tyres

14. Protester throwing stones

15. Tyres burning on road

Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip

16. Person taking picture on phone of bodies wrapped in green Hamas flags on ground

17. Bodies wrapped in flags on ground

18. Various of funeral procession, bodies carried through street

19. Wide of mourners on back of truck driving through street

Rafah, southern Gaza Strip

20. Various of mourners around bodies wrapped with black 'Islamic Jihad' flags

21. Child crying

22. Various of funeral procession

Ramallah, West Bank

23. Poster of Mohammed Ajar, Palestinian killed in Qalandiya on Thursday night, and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat

24. Various of Ajar's body being carried through streets in Palestinian flag

25. Mourners walking down street

26. Men standing with posters showing pictures of injured in Gaza

27. Various of protesters marching carrying green Hamas flag