Lebanese Army relocating in Nahr al-Bared ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Daily Star August 15, 2012 - 12:00am The Lebanese Army is relocating in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp to give residents space, and the government has reiterated its commitment to releasing detainees from recent clashes and removing the camps’ restrictive permit system. The head of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee Khaldoun al-Sharif announced the state-backed steps Monday night at a committee iftar held in the camp, according to a statement from the organization. » Read more

Israel blasts EU listing ATFP World Press Roundup Article from United Press International (UPI) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Israel criticized a European Union listing that stated an Israeli city was a settlement and said its products will not be allowed duty-free entrance into Europe. "For anyone who deals in reality, there is not the slightest doubt that the Modi'in, Maccabim and Re'ut localities are an integral part of Israel, and their future is not in question," a Foreign Ministry statement published by The Jerusalem Post said. "The EU ignores reality when it extends the domain of conflict to places and issues that do not belong there. " » Read more

South Africa: SA Not Boycotting Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from South African Government News Agency August 14, 2012 - 12:00am South Africa has no policy aimed at boycotting Israel, International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Minister Ebrahim Ebrahim said on Tuesday. But Pretoria did discourage people from visiting Israel because of the latter's continued occupation of Palestinian land, Ebrahim told reporters in Pretoria. "We have no policy that says boycott Israel but we believe that Israel is an occupying power and that we should discourage people from visiting that country," he said. » Read more

Morsy to resume Hamas-Fatah unity efforts in Cairo ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Khaled Abu Toameh - August 14, 2012 - 12:00am Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy has decided to resume efforts to end the power struggle between Fatah and Hamas, Palestinian sources said Tuesday. The sources said that Morsy has invited representatives of the two rival parties to meetings in Cairo after the holiday of Id al-Fitr, which begins next week. Morsy’s decision to resume efforts to end the Fatah-Hamas dispute comes amid growing tensions between the two sides, especially in the wake of last week’s terror attack in Sinai, in which 16 Egyptian border guards were killed by unidentified terrorists. » Read more

Despite ban, PLO leaders host Ramadan event in Jerusalem ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 15, 2012 - 12:00am PLO leaders hosted a Ramadan event in east Jerusalem late Monday, in the first official Palestinian gathering in the 18 years since Israel imposed a ban on such activities in the holy city. Hanan Ashrawi, a senior PLO leader, and Adnan Husseini, the Palestinian Authority governor of Jerusalem, hosted the Iftar meal and briefed diplomats on a bid to join the United Nations in the coming months. » Read more

PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib leaves post ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib has decided to leave his position and return to teaching, the PA's official news agency Wafa reported Wednesday. Khatib had taken a three-year leave of absence from Birzeit University to work as a spokesman and head of the PA government media center at the request of PA prime minister Salam Fayyad. Three years is the maximum amount of leave a university employee can take, which is why Khatib is returning to his former position, a statement from the center said. » Read more

Ex-Obama Official Warns: Take Israel Iran Threat 'Very Seriously' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Al-Monitor by Laura Rozen - August 14, 2012 - 12:00am Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl traveled to Israel 13 times during his tenure as the Obama administration’s top Pentagon Middle East civilian policy advisor from 2009 to the end of 2011. Kahl, now a Georgetown University professor, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and foreign policy advisor to the Obama campaign, told Al-Monitor in an interview Tuesday that he takes the signs that Israeli leaders are contemplating a fall strike on Iran “very seriously.” » Read more

Panetta: No Israeli decision yet on attacking Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Herb Keinon - August 15, 2012 - 12:00am US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday that he did not believe that Israel had made a decision on whether to attack Iran over its nuclear program, and added that he thought there was still time for a stronger sanctions push. Panetta’s comments came at a Pentagon briefing against the background of the very loud and public debate in Israel about whether to attack Iran. Panetta held a round of talks in Israel two weeks ago, and met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. » Read more

Ambassador Oren: Israel's clock on Iran 'ticking faster' than Obama's ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Natasha Mozgovaya - August 14, 2012 - 12:00am While White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Monday that the Obama Administration still believes that there is "time and space" for a diplomatic track, coupled with sanctions, to succeed in convincing Iranian leadership to stop the nuclear program, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren stressed in an interview to MSNBC that the Israeli clock "is ticking faster." » Read more

Netanyahu set to bury Levy report on legalizing illegal West Bank outposts ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Chaim Levinson - August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to bury the Levy Report, which recommends legalizing most unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank and making it easier for existing settlements to expand, a senior politician who spoke with the premier about the issue told Haaretz yesterday. » Read more