BBC Monitoring

News bulletins on the Iranian provincial TV channels, Khuzestan and Esfahan, have been dominated by pro-Palestinian reports in the past few days. Last Friday of Ramadan, 5 October, is designated as International Al-Quds Day in support of the Palestinian people. Nationwide anti-Israeli and anti-American rallies take part on that day and usually similar rallies also take place in many Islamic countries.

News bulletins on Esfahan provincial TV on 2 October at 1300 gmt and 1715 gmt and on 3 October opened with pro-Palestinian reports including a brief history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The station also carried brief interviews with members of the public asking them if they were going to take part in the Quds Day rallies. All those interviewed said that they would and stressed the importance of support for other Muslims throughout the world.

Khuzestan provincial TV also carried similar reports. Provincial TV channels cited statements by local offi! cials, organizations and parties urging the people to take part in the pro-Palestinian rallies. Khuzestan TV carried a special programme entitled: Ma'edeh (Ambrosia) at 1430 gmt in which poets recited their poetry in support of the Palestinians. The programme was about the month of Ramadan, the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Ali and the Palestinian issue.

At 1735 gmt on 2 October, Esfahan TV broadcast a domestically-produced drama-documentary about the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A lecturer is shown in a classroom talking about a book by Theodor Herzl called: The Jewish State, and how David Ben-Gurion officially announcing a Jewish state in Palestine. A girl has chosen the topic of suicide bombings for her theses and wants to study "the motives of martyrdom-seeking operations by young Palestinians". She explains how she is preparing for the theses. She says she has been watching documentary films produced before such suicide bombings were carrie! d out. The teacher tells her to visit a young injured Palestinian girl who has been brought to Iran to be treated. A dramatic scene shows the girl listening to the story of the injured Palestinian girl. Two parallel stories are cut together. An old Israeli man is shown talking about the history of the Palestinian uprising and his young daughter finds out about his father's involvement in terrorist operations against the Palestinians. An Israeli agent is sent to the hospital in Iran to kill the young Palestinian girl, but the girl student is killed accidentally instead, and the Palestinian girl is kidnapped from the hospital by the old Israeli man. The old man takes the young Palestinian girl to his house where he gives the gun to his daughter and asks her to kill the young Palestinian girl. The Israeli girl aims the gun at the Palestinian girl, but then shoots her father instead.

The young Iranian girl's mother visits her daughter in hospital. The daughter is still thinking about finishing her theses.

Finally, the young student i! n hospital watches a report on television showing the Palestinian girl's picture and saying that she carried out a suicide bombing in Israel.

Esfahan TV also showed a movie called "Return to Haifa" as well as part one of a serial called: "My love, Lebanon" on 3 October.

Source: Esfahan Provincial TV, Esfahan, in Persian 1715 gmt 3 Oct 07