The Afghanistan Rights Monitor (ARM) said Feb. 2 that 2010 was the deadliest year for civilians in the country since the US-led invasion of 2001, with more than 2,400 non-combatants killed. Taliban and other insurgents were responsible for more than 60% of the dead, according to the report. "Almost everything related to the war surged in 2010," said the report, noting that the number of Afghan government and foreign forces surged to some 350,000, as the number of "security incidents" rose to more than 100 per week. Between January and December 2010, "at least 2,421 civilian Afghans were killed and over 3,270 were injured in conflict-related security incidents across Afghanistan," the report finds. By comparison, there were 2,332 civilian deaths as a result of the war in 2009.

Supporters of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak—some on horses and camels and armed with whips—charged without warning into the ranks of opposition protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square Feb. 2, sparking running battles that have left hundreds injured and at least one dead. Both sides erected barricades and hurled stones, concrete and other missiles at each other. Government supporters on surrounding rooftops dropped Molotov cocktails on protesters below. Police fired tear gas at protesters, while seemingly leaving the rest to "unofficial" pro-Mubarak forces. Gunfire has been heard repeatedly, but it seems to be police firing into the air to intimidate protesters. The army, with a strong presence around the square, appeared not to interfere. Similar scenes are reported from Alexandria. The pro-government mobs are assumed to be organized by the ruling National Democratic Party, with a probable hand of the Mukhabarat secret police agency. (Middle East Online, AFP, Al-Masry al-Youm, BBC World Service, Feb. 2)

Several hundred thousand protesters filled Cairo's Tahrir Square in a eighth day of defiance of authorities Feb. 1, the biggest outpouring yet demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. A second "march of a million" was held in Alexandria. There were no incidents of violence reported anywhere in the country; army tanks continued to surround Tahrir Square but again did not interfere with the massive protest. Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei said Friday Feb. 4 had been set as "departure day" for Mubarak, pledging that there would be no negotiations with the regime until the president "leaves." Chants of "Revolution! Revolution until victory!" filled the square.

Reuters, AFP and other wire services reported Feb. 1 that a synagogue was set aflame by arsonists in the Tunisian city of Ghabes overnight, in a wave of nocturnal violence that also affected the capital. "I condemn this action and I believe those who did it want to create divisions between Jews and Muslims in Tunisia who have lived for decades in peace," said local Jewish community leader Peres Trabelsi. "What especially shocked me was the fact that there was a police force not far from the synagogue when it was attacked," he added. However, later the same day, AFP retracted the story, saying without elaboration that their sources had withdrawn the accusation.

Rulers in Arab capitals are taking moves to avert the emergence of mass revolutionary movements such as seen in Egypt and Tunisia. In Yemen, where protesters have called a "day of rage" for Feb. 3, President Ali Abdullah Saleh has increased wages and cut income taxes, and on Feb. 1 announced that will address a special meeting of the consultative council. Online activists have also called for a "day of rage" in Syria this week to demand the resignation of President Bashir Assad.

Thousands of angry protesters again filled Cairo's Tahrir Square in a seventh day of defiance of authorities Jan. 31, demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak. "We will stay in the square, until the coward leaves," the crowd chanted. The newly formed National Coalition for Change brings together pro-democracy advocates and the left as well as the banned Muslim Brotherhood. In a nod to the movement's power—and a worrying sign for Mubarak—the army issued a statement saying Egyptians' demands are legitimate, and vowing not to fire on protesters. An indefinite general strike has been declared, and a "march of a million" called for the following day.

Palestinian security forces shut down a demonstration Jan. 30 in front of the Egyptian embassy in Ramallah, after calling in one of the organizers for questioning a day earlier, organizers of the rally said. A police commander said the demonstrators were in a "security area" and would have to disperse. Some 20 armed officers cleared the area, ordered journalists to turn off their cameras and microphones, and dragged one protester away when he shouted, "Long live Egypt!"

Ameer Makhoul—director of the Haifa-based Ittijah: the Union of Arab Community-Based Associations—was sentenced by an Israeli court to nine years in prison, and given an additional one-year suspended sentence on Jan. 30. The prosecution claimed that a Jordanian civil society activist who Makhoul was in contact with was a Hezbollah agent, and that he gave the contact information on the locations of a military base and General Security Services (Shabak, or Shin Bet) offices. Makhoul's "confession" was admitted as evidence, despite allegations that his statement was made under duress and that he was tortured during interrogation following his arrest in a pre-dawn raid on his home last May.