Palestinians demonstrating in support of Egyptian anti-government protesters were forcibly disbanded when a few dozen men in plainclothes disrupted the rally in Ramallah Feb. 5. Several hundred protesters carrying the Egyptian and Tunisian flags and chanting "The people want to bring down the regime" were set upon by a gang of men chanting "The people want Mahmoud Abbas!" The two groups clashed before the protesters were dispersed. (CNN, Feb. 5)

Thousands of people marched in Milan to demand the resignation of Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi Feb. 5. Some of the country's foremost progressive intellectuals, including Umberto Eco and anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano, as well as union leaders and others, addressed the crowd. (AP, Feb. 5) Some 70,000 also marched Serbia's parliament building in Belgrade, demanding early elections—but here, the populist space was assumed by the right, with Tomislav Nikolic of the nationalist Serbian Progress Party (SNS) addressing the crowd. (AFP, Feb. 5)

At least two people were killed and 17 others were wounded in the northern Tunisian city of El Kif on Feb. 5 when police opened fire on protesters who reportedly threw fire bombs and stones at a police station. Some 1,000 people gathered in a protest to demand the dismissal of the city' police chief. (Reuters, Feb. 5)

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with his new government Feb. 5, as the executive committee of his ruling party stepped down in a purge evidently aimed at appeasing protesters who have now been taking to streets for 12 consecutive days. Tahrir Square remains occupied by demonstrators, who rejected the cabinet and party changes as inadequate and continue to demand Mubarak's resignation.

On Feb. 2, Jewish Voice for Peace Los Angeles chapter leader Estee Chandler discovered a "WANTED for treason and incitement against Jews" poster plastered on her front porch. The photo featured her picture, workplace, and most disturbingly, names of nieces and nephew, as well as charges about "anti-Jewish" activity. Jewish Voice for Peace is a national organization with 27 chapters, dedicated to ending Israel’s occupation and promoting a just US foreign policy that recognizes the rights of both Israelis and Palestinians.

The US is conducting a manhunt for a previously unknown cell believed to be involved in the planning of the 9-11 attacks, according to a US cable released by WikiLeaks. In the cable, Mirembe Nantongo, the deputy chief of mission in Doha, told the Homeland Security Department in Washington that three Qatari men were under suspicion of conducting surveillance operations on the attack sites.

A new anti-Taliban offensive by the Pakistani military in the tribal region of Mohmand bordering Afghanistan has forced some 25,000 residents to flee, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The military claims that its troops have so far killed more than 70 Taliban militants in what it described as a "search and clearance operation." (RTTNews, AlJazeera, Feb. 4)

Hundreds of protesters marched in cities around Iraq Feb. 4, inspired by uprisings elsewhere in the region. The government's failure to provide basic services topped the list of grievances, with complaints of food, water and power shortages. The biggest demonstration took place in al-Hamza, a poor town Shi'ite town south of Baghdad, where marchers were estimated by authorities at over 1,000. (CNN, Feb. 3)