August 16th

Families of slain Iranian scientists sue Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Ali Akbar Dareini - August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Families of Iran's slain nuclear scientists have filed a lawsuit against Israel, the U.S. and Britain accusing them of involvement in the assassination of their loved ones. Rahim Ahmadi Roshan, father of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, the slain chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, told a press conference in Tehran Wednesday that the families have demanded Iran's judiciary to pursue their complaint through international bodies and bring those behind the killings to justice. » Read more

Israel sees monthlong war after Iran strike ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press by Amy Teibel - August 15, 2012 - 12:00am An Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear program could trigger a bloody monthlong war on multiple fronts, killing hundreds of Israelis or more, the Israeli Cabinet's civil defense chief warned in an interview published Wednesday. It was the most explicit assessment yet of how the government sees events unfolding in the aftermath of an Israeli attack. » Read more

Existential priorities ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post by Jonathan Rosen - (Opinion) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Israelis have had a number of pressing issues on their minds lately, all of which have been placed in the forefront by the media and the political leadership in the past number of weeks. First and foremost perhaps is the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear program, followed closely by the danger of armed jihadists in Sinai, the rise of Mohamed Mursi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the impending fall of the Syrian regime and the fate of its enormous arsenal of chemical and biological weapons. » Read more

Israeli military: Blasts heard in southern city ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press August 16, 2012 - 12:00am Explosions rocked the southern Israeli city of Eilat late Wednesday, and the military said it suspected that rockets were fired from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. No casualties or damage were reported. Eilat is a Red Sea resort next to Sinai, scene of many militant attacks in recent months. On Aug. 5, Sinai militants killed 16 Egyptian soldiers where the borders of Egypt, Israel and Gaza converge. Then they stole Egyptian army vehicles and crashed into Israel, where Israeli forces stopped them with gunfire. » Read more

Romney must stop playing politics with Israel ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Frank R. Lautenberg - (Opinion) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am The rhetoric coming from Republicans and their presidential candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, concerning the US relationship with Israel is downright dangerous. Republicans want to use our relationship with Israel as part of a political game – which is terrible for US national security and bad for Israel’s safety. » Read more

2 Palestinians killed in Yarmouk shelling ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 16, 2012 - 12:00am A Palestinian refugee and his child were killed Thursday after the Syrian regime bombed residential areas in Yarmouk camp in Damascus, local activists said. Palestinian activists in Yarmouk camp told Ma’an that the refugee, Jamal Abu al-Haija, and his daughter Hanin, 10, were killed by a mortar shell fired near their house in the sport city area. Activists said dozens of shells were fired at Yarmouk camp at dawn because Syrian and Palestinian houses are next to each other in the camp. He pointed out that the sounds of shells had frightened children. » Read more

US punched Bibi, Barak in the face ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - (Opinion) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Once every few years Israel needs a slap in the face to remember where it stands in the world. On Tuesday it was US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey who assumed the role of the responsible adult and slapped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the duo orchestrating the national hysteria surrounding the possibility of an attack in Iran. » Read more

Gentlemen, America is telling you 'no' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Eitan Haber - (Opinion) August 16, 2012 - 12:00am Many years ago, the US ambassador to Israel requested an urgent meeting with the defense minister. The ambassador (I'm fairly certain it was Thomas Pickering) sat opposite Yitzhak Rabin, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and read from it. » Read more

The price of settlements ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz (Editorial) August 16, 2012 - 12:00am On Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a request by Defense Minister Ehud Barak to hold a cabinet meeting on the political stalemate with the Palestinians, to discuss ways of advancing peace negotiations for a final agreement. On Monday Haaretz reported Barak as saying in private talks that a thaw in relations is in Israel's strategic interest and that the country is "living on borrowed time." On Tuesday the European Union demonstrated the price of neglecting this political channel, combined with the race to expand settlements. » Read more

Chance of success slim for Palestinians' 2nd UN bid ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas is considering launching a second attempt at upgrading the status of the Palestinians in the United Nations from an observer entity to a non-member observer. With an upgraded status, the Palestinians would be able to vote in the UN General Assembly and seek full membership in UN organizations and at the International Criminal Court. The upgrade would also likely to help define the borders of a Palestinian state as containing the entire West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. » Read more