a palestinian is shot by police in jerusalem after driving his car into a crowded train platform. the attack followed violent clashes with israeli security forces at the city's most holy site. ♪ hello and welcome to al jazeera, i'm sami zeidan live from our headquarters in doha. coming up in the show, the iraqi army's fight against isil escalates in the contested city. plus: >> tonight they said we can have

real change in washington, real change. [ cheers ] [ applause ] >> republicans sweep to victory in the u.s. midterm elections, taking control of both houses of congress. ♪ a palestinian man has been killed by israeli police after he drove his car into people at a train station in west jerusalem. the incident happened after an earlier confrontation between palestinian protesters and israeli police at the al-aqsa compound in occupied east jerusalem. >> reporter: after a day of tensions, a night of protests. this palestinian neighborhood in occupied east -- jerusalem. the protests follow what the israeli police are calling a hit

and run terror attack. a man drive his car into a platform of waiting people at a train platform. the man was shot dead. he is widely reported as having connections to hamas. police say they shot him because he was trying to attack bystanders with a metal rod. >> translator: in recent days we have witnessed growing incitement by the head of the palestinian authority, including the sending of a condolence letter to the family of would-be assassin sin -- and calling to prevent jews from visiting the mosque. the ramming attack in jerusalem is a direct result of the

incitement. we are in a continuous battle over jerusalem, which i have no doubt we will win. >> reporter: the attack happened shortly after a violent confrontation between israeli police and palestinian protesters at the al-aqsa compound in occupied east jerusalem. the fighting began after a group of far-right israeli activists tried to enter the holy site. they were there to commemorate one week when one of their leaders was shot. police used tear gas and stun guns to disperse the protesters. >> translator: for the first time since 1976, israeli police entered inside the al-aqsa mosque. they had their shoes on and used their weapons. this is a dangerous escalation and gives us a bad indication for the future.

[ gunfire ] >> reporter: there have been near daily confrontation betweens palestinian protesters and israeli police for months, and while access to al-aqsa mosque remains the main issue for most, israeli's support for settlers moving into neighborhoods in occupied east jerusalem hasn't only inflamed thicks further. this is the second car attack by a palestinian driver in a week. and there are growing concerns that this could lead to a new palestinian uprising. meanwhile, jordan has recalled its ambassador to israel in protest to what it calls israeli violations in jerusalem and the holy sites. it's the most serious diplomatic rauch between the two countries since they agreed on a peace

treaty in 1994. jordan administered east jerusalem and the west bank between 1949 and 1967, but after the 1967 war, the area was occupied by israel. under a 1994 peace treaty, jordan still has a supervisory roll over muslim and christian holy sites in occupied east skwlems and that inclueses the al-aqsa come pound. >> reporter: the jordanian prime minister has instructed the foreign minister to recall the jordanian ambassador to israel, in protest of what they describe as israeli violations in the al-aqsa mosque and al-aqsa come pound. this is the first time the ambassador is recalled since being appointed three years ago, and the jordanian government has instructed the foreign minister to file an official complaint against israel at the united

nations security council. we understand the jordanian delegation in new york has already begun the process to file a complaint. israel doesn't have a lot of friends in the region. it only has two peace treaties with arab countries, and they are jordan and egypt. and israeli relations with jordan are far warmer than they are with egyptians. so this is indeed a serious escalation. we understand the jordanians are very angered by some of israeli actions especially inside the al-aqsa mosque, because the jordanians feel that israel does not respect jordans historic and special rule in east jerusalem in looking after shrines. this is a role that israel recognized under the peace treaty it signed 20 years ago in this 1994, so we are definitely seeing a diplomatic escalation.

we are also hearing from observers who are close to the government, that these violations by israel are considered a threat to jordan's national security, and this is why jordan is taking them very seriously, so indeed we are seeing this diplomatic escalation, and some statements by officials going as far as saying that jordan would review all agreements with israel, including the peace treaty if these israeli actions in east jerusalem don't stop. >> translator: all options are on the table. we are a country that respects its treaties and commitments, but this is also conditional. the other country has to respect its commitments too. so since the treaty talks about a jordanian role in al-aqsa and al-aqsa compound, as well as an historic guardianship, we will not allow any violations against

this role. hence all diplomatic options are on the table, including reviewing bilateral ties between jordan and israel as well as the peace treaty. to saudi arabia now, where the king has fired his cultural and information minister. he accused a tv of airing programs fuelling sectarian tension. on monday at least eight people were killed during a religious festival. in iraq fighting has intensified in the western city in anbar province. they are battling in the southern part of the city. imran khan reports from bagdad. >> reporter: once this was a quiet suburb, but since june the southern part of the town has been taken over by isil. in recent days the iraqi army has mounted an offensive to try to retake the area.

coalition air strikes have hit targets in the border areas of the city, and now it's time to retake the streets. the main fighting force is a counter terrorism unit nicknamed the golden squad. this is a unit with a mixed reputation amongst sunnis who have accused them in the past of human rights violations. accusations the head dismisses. >> translator: the golden squad is not bias to anyone. it is for the iraqi people. it includes and protects all, and is considered to protect all religions and seconds. i just want to set the record straight to everyone. >> reporter: the counter terrorism forces sweep houses they captured, but here booby traps and surprise isil attacks are common. t >> translator: we're still fighting them, and there are signs that they are all around us.

>> reporter: the fight for these streets is key as they are strategically valuable. the access of these roads offers access to the center of the town. with the right fast ball ball -- number of isil fighters gives them direct control of the center of the city, and gives them a propaganda victory, one that they will be very keen to temperaturet that they say shows the weakness of iraqi forces. this footage was shot on sunday, but not much has changed. pockets of fighters still mount attacks and iraqi forces are fighting back. and although it's not a stalemate, neither side has the upper hand. iraq's interior minister has reiterated his government's commitment to fighting isil. here is what he had to say. >> translator: i seize this opportunity to reiterate that we are standing steadfast to these

threats. isil and other terrorist groups. we are in the process of eradicating them, but we need cooperation from neighboring countries, namely regional states in order to hunt down terrorists and drain their resources of funding. ♪ to the u.s. where president obama's party has lost the senate. the republicans now take control of both houses of congress, and that will greatly limit what obama can do in his last two years in office. mike hannah explains. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the man who's likely to be the new senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell celebrates his win in kentucky, won far easier than predicted and one that set the tone for a night of sweeping republican gains in both houses of congress. >> tomorrow the papers will say

i won this race. [ cheers and applause ] >> but the truth is -- the truth is, tonight we begin another one, one that's far more important than mine. and that's the race to turn this country around. [ cheers ] [ applause ] >> reporter: a runoff was predicted in the georgia senate race amidst speculation that neither candidate would an achieve an outright win, but what was supposed to be a close race became yet another comfortable republican victory. there will be a runoff in louisiana and at least one democratic senator who will live to fight another day. >> louisiana's worth fighting for. join me. let's get some rest tonight. and hit the campaign trial in the morning. [ cheers and applause ] >> god bless you all. thank you! >> reporter: the republicans increased their majority in the house of representatives, and took a number of governor ships

away from the democrats, including president obama's home state of illinois. president obama has invited leaders from both parties to the white house on friday to discuss the way forward in the light of the any political reality. but emboldened by their emfasic victory, the new lords on the hill are more likely to demand presidential copromice than seek it. still to come, on al jazeera, egypt's human rights record comes under the spotlight at the united nations. plus -- i'm andrew thomas in the middle of the australian outback. half a century ago this site was used by the british government to test nuclear weapons. only now is it being handed back to its traditional indigenous owners. ♪

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his final years in this office both at home and abroad. the united states has tolded the deposed president of yemen he must leave his country. he is accused of helping houthi fighters seize parts of the capitol in september. his office says he was told by the u.s. ambassador to leave by friday or face sanctions. the u.s. has asked the united nations to consider sanctions against him and two houthi rebel leaders. >> reporter: the u.s. and u.n. officials accused the former president of helping the houthis take over the capitol sana'a last month and at least seven other provinces in yemen. and accuse him of hindering the political initiative. the party that is the general people's progress rejected the

warning made by the u.s. ambassador, and described it as a blatant interference in yemen's internal affairs. they also called on supporters as well as allies of the former president to be vigilant and be steady for any possibility. so this is an indication that things could spire out of control. he is the former president, however, he remains the most powerful figure in yemen with influence over the military and government. lebanon's parliament has voted to extend its term. the parliamentary pole was due to take place this month. dozens of politicians boycotted the vote. egypt's human rights record is being reviewed by the united

nations. it will examine the way they treat human rights workers, women, and the press. a local court recently sentenced 23 people to three years in jail after they were accused of holding an illegal demonstration. rights groups have criticized egypt for the way that women are treated too. there are claims that many allegations of sexual harassment aren't even investigated. and journalists have been targeted by the military government, including three working for al jazeera. peter greste, mohammed fahmy, and baher mohamed have now been in jail for 312 days. they are accused of supporting the outlawed muslim brotherhood, a charge they deny and are appealing their sentences. barnaby phillips have been watching that review on egypt's human rights from geneva.

>> reporter: so many countries wanted to make observations that they were limited in the session to contributions of one minute each. i saw something of a pattern emerging. i saw strong criticism of egypt mainly from western countries, from one or two other countries like turkey, but i also saw a lot of support for egypt from the majority of arab countries, places like algeria, uae, saudi arabia, and most african countries. it is important to say egypt is not being singled out. this is a part of a universal peer mechanism. every country has its day in court where they appear in front of the other countries. how much does all of this matter? how much do the egyptian authorities listen to these criticisms? that's a moot point, but clearly they took today's proceedings

seriously. they sent a large delegation, and at the end of the day, looking at their body language, the egyptian government delegation seemed rather pleased. they are under no obligation to reply to the criticisms that were made here until march of next year. there have been protests out there pakistan urging parliament to reconsider the law on blasphemy. human rights activists and christians say a couple was murdered on tuesday after being accused of burning a caron. several leaders are beet meeting in burkina faso. the country has been hit by protests last week, after the army took over power when the president was forced to resign. >> reporter: leaders are being told to go into separate corners in a building behind me, and

write down three names on a list, names of people they think are capable of leading this country for one year, during the transition period. after that they will hand back the list to the african president, and the name that appears on all of the lists will be the new interim leader until elections are hold. so people have their own interests, their own agendas. they want certain people in place who will serve their needs. in the meantime people on the streets are waiting to hear news about these talks, and of course, the key thing is hearing from the colonel himself. will he accept stepping down and handing over control to a civil government? a prison guard has appeared in court in romania charged with crimes against humanity. paul brennan reports. >> reporter: he is almost 90

years old now, but age will not prevent the historic trial. he is accused of torturing and causing the deaths of 12 political prisoners at the jail he was in charge of between 1956 and 1963. he refused to attend an earlier hearing, so this time police were ordered to collect him from home. but his supporters say he is being blamed for the criminal orders of his then superiors. the decision to force him to come to court indicates, perhaps, a willingness by romania's present-day leaders to confront the crimes of their predecessors. the pace of the legal process here is a deep frustration to the victim's families, and it will take more than one high profile prosecution to prove there is a genuine desire for restorative justice. this was one of the many victims of the secret police.

arrested in 1985 he was beat inso badly in prison, that he died of a ruptured intestine. his son is currently into the third week of a hunger strike, demanding that even 30 years on, justice be served. >> you can't torture and kill people. no, that's not acceptable for society. the society cannot accept that ever. that's why these are -- there is no statute of limitations in the united nations human rights declaration and all international legislation and laws. >> reporter: there is a body set up specifically to look at the darkest episodes of romania's communist era, but for many years political interference hampered its investigations. access to the security files is crucial to making progress. >> for many years we had not access to the -- the files, and

this explain why these cases are so slowly. >> reporter: the trial will take many months, and the outcome remains uncertain. but for the victim's relatives it is a long overdue step towards addressing and reconciling romania's painful past. now georgia's sacked defense minister says his party is pulling out of the country's fragile coalition government. he was forced out by the prime minister a day ago after saying the arrests of several officials were politically motivated. two senior ministers resigned in protest. here is the latest. >> reporter: it has been a hard day in politics today in georgia by the decision to withdraw his free democrats from the governing coalition. that brings in to question the

ability of the georgia government to actually continue to govern, because it will lose its majority in parliament. it all began on tuesday with the firi firing of him. within the ministry, though, he standings by officials who are now under investigation. wednesday saw more senior government ministers resigning, including the foreign minister who happens to be his sister-in-law, though she says she resigned because she felt his departure brought the whole question of georgia joining europe or nato into jeopardy, because he has been a very important supporter of that process. this is the culmination of months of spats within government between different members of the coalition, between the prime minister and the president, because there has been a feeling amongst those who

are not happy with the situation among them, that this government that was brought to power, though democratically elected, is actually being run from behind the scenes by its billionaire financier. in the 1950s, australia's remote outback was used as a testing ground for nuclear weapons. people were given just days to leave their homes. now the desendants are getting their land back. >> reporter: it takes two hours in a military plane to fly from the nearest city to the airstrip here. it is one of the most remote places in australia. to the british government in the 1950s, that made the land around the area perfect for testing nuclear weapons. it did a deal with australia, and in 195 '66 -- 1956 and 1957

detonates several atomic bombs. nina's parent were given just days to leave their land. smart lost her husband, father, and two brothers to illnesses blamed on radiation from contaminated land. >> i felt really crushed and angry and hurt inside. it was dangerous, and i have been telling the people it is dangerous to go back. it's poisoned. >> reporter: in the 1980s and '90s, australia's government did spend $100 million cleaning up the land, though much of it was put off of elements, part of a huge australian weapons-testing zone. at a ceremony, australia's government gave the land back to its original owners. >> this will allow the people

unrestricted access to that area, and the presence of government representatives and officials here today is testament to the significance of this special occasion. >> reporter: near the airstrip, buildings, a former barracks and hospital, still largely as they were in the 1950s. one hope is that in doing years this area will attract tourists wanting to visit an area of military significance. the handover represents an economic opportunity for the indigenous people here. richard worked with indigenous people and will help develop tourism. his uncle was a british soldier in the 1950s, who witnessed the testing of the bombs. >> put his back to where the bomb was going off. closed his eyes and put his hands over his eyes, and when the bomb went off, he could see the skeleton of his fingers through his closed eyes. >> reporter: the return of land

and public acknowledgment of what happened here has been for some long overdue. andrew thomas, al jazeera. and if you want to keep up to date with all of those stories, you know where to go, aljazeera.com. you can see our front page there. ♪ >> the united states is changing the way it operates in space. territory that was once largely monopolized by nasa has slowly been ceded to the private sector. >> like all good corporations, these companies are armed with slick promotional videos. and their excellent pr machines are generating hours of airtime, >> well i think we could probably send the first person