Four men have been killed in protests this week by the Shi'ite minority in Saudi Arabia's east—the most serious violence in the kingdom since the start of the Arab Spring. Street clashes began after a youth was killed at a checkpoint near Qatif. On Nov. 24, security forces fired on the funeral of a slain protester, leaving two more dead. Police said they exchanged fire with gunmen who "infiltrated" the mourners. The Interior Ministry said that "a number of security checkpoints and vehicles have since Monday been increasingly coming under gunfire attacks in the Qatif region by assailants motivated by foreign orders." (The Independent, Middle East Online, Nov. 25)

Anonymous Israeli security officials told Haaretz newspaper Nov. 23 that they believe Turkey is preparing a military intervention in Syria, seeking to create a secure buffer zone on the border for armed opposition forces. Ankara has already given shelter to some 20,000 refugees fleeing repression by Syrian President Bashar Assad's security forces, and also hosts Syrian opposition groups. Unnamed Israeli officials said that Ankara is expected to set up bases that would be protected by the Turkish army from which Syrian opposition forces can operate. (Haaretz, Nov. 23)

Protests rocked Cairo for a sixth day Nov. 23, as security forces again used tear gas in another effort to clear Tahrir Square. Clashes raged in surrounding streets, and the square was illuminated by floodlights mounted on armored personnel carriers. Health officials say 32 are now dead in the six days of unrest. Protests also broke out in the Mediterranean port of Alexandria, the canal city of Suez, the central city of Qena, the northern city of Port Said, Assiut and Aswan in the south, in the Nile Delta province of Daqahliya, and the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, has ordered authorities to tighten security in the Persian Gulf mini-state after the parliament building was stormed by dozens of protesters on Nov. 16, as hundreds more demonstrated outside. Hundreds, including opposition lawmakers, have been protesting weekly outside parliament, demanding an investigation into corruption charges. "The Kuwaiti constitution can no longer accommodate the movement on the street," said Islamist lawmaker Jamaan al-Harbash, calling for an end to Kuwait's ban on political parties. "There must be a system of political parties in Kuwait so that it becomes a democracy that fosters state institutions rather than a clannish, tribal state. At a time when other Arab states are progressing, there is a dangerous regression taking place in Kuwait."

Up to 20,000 people remain in Cairo's Tahrir Square, with thousands more in surrounding streets, despite ongoing efforts by security forces to remove them in a third consecutive day of protests Nov. 21. "The people want the fall of the marshal," demonstrators chanted, referring to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi—Mubarak's defense minister for two decades and now head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Egypt's military-appointed interim prime minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet offered to resign in a bid to defuse the protests, but the SCAF has not indicated it will accept the resignations. Over 20 have now been killed and more than 1,500 wounded in the three days of street fighting. Doctors at a field clinic near Tahrir Square reported seeing as many as 10 bodies killed by live ammunition, an escalation from the tear gas and rubber bullets the security forces have previously used. Leaders across the spectrum—secularists and Islamists alike—have endorsed a call for a "million man march" on the 22nd to demand a new civilian government.

Hundreds of protesters against Egypt's military rulers remain camped in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a third day, retaking the plaza in clashes with security forces after being evicted in a police assault. At least 13 protesters were killed over the weekend, as security forces used tear gas, baton charges and live bullets. Demonstrators threw stones and petrol bombs at armored personnel carriers and troops. Officials say up to 900 have been injured, including at least 40 security personnel. Protesters pledge to remain in Tahrir Square until the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) cedes power. In the canal city of Suez, troops fired live rounds into the air to stop protesters from storming a central police station. Protests also broke out in the cities of Qena and Assiut, with 55 arrested nationwide.

Egyptian riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets stormed into Cairo's Tahrir Square Nov. 19 to break up a protest tent camp, sparking clashes that injured at least 500 people. The camp of some 200 was established to commemorate the hundreds of protesters killed in the anti-Mubarak uprising and demand a speedy transition to democracy. The black-clad police, a hated symbol of Mubarak's regime, were sent back in to action against protesters for the first time since the strongman's fall. (AP, Nov. 19)

An Egyptian court on Oct. 10 overturned a ban that prohibited presidential hopeful Ayman Nour from officially forming the Islamic-based political party al-Gama'a al-Islamiya. The decision will allow political parties previously banned because of their religious foundations to participate in the upcoming November parliamentary elections. The court found that Nour's party, "Construction and Development," should be allowed to participate in the elections because its founders consist of Muslims and non-Muslims and the party does not mandate the religion of its members.