Swiss experts ready to help Arafat probe, but time running out ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters by Stephanie Nebehay - August 30, 2012 - 12:00am (Reuters) - A Swiss institute has agreed to a request from the Palestinian Authority to exhume Yasser Arafat's body and determine whether he was poisoned, but time is running out for a credible scientific examination of his remains, it said on Thursday. » Read more

Settlement rabbi: Attacking innocent Palestinians ‘sacrilege’ ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) August 31, 2012 - 12:00am (JTA) -- The rabbi of the West Bank settlement of Bat Aiyn defined a recent attack on a Palestinian taxi as “sacrilege.” Rabbi Daniel Cohen said he hoped a police investigation of the attack, which occurred earlier this month, would show that youths from his community were not involved, Israel Radio reported on Friday. The attack left six wounded after a Molotov cocktail hit the driving taxi. Police questioned several youths from Bat Aiyn about the incident, which happened near the settlement.  » Read more

Water crisis will make Gaza strip 'unliveable' ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Guardian by John Vidal - August 31, 2012 - 12:00am The Gaza strip faces a water crisis that will soon make it "unliveable" unless plans for a $500m desalination plant are approved by banks, delegates at a water conference in Stockholm were told this week. » Read more

On Iran Strike, U.S. Should Not Be 'Complicit': General ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) August 31, 2012 - 12:00am General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of U.S. armed forces, does not wish to be “complicit” in a unilateral Israeli strike on Iran. The Guardian reported that Dempsey said in London that such an attack would “clearly delay but probably not destroy Iran’s nuclear program.” He added, “I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it.” » Read more

War talks fails to dampen spirits in Tel Aviv ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News by Hugh Sykes - August 29, 2012 - 12:00am The beaches in this coastal city are heaving with holidaymakers. Restaurants, clubs and bars are packed with happy diners, drinkers and dancers. In one cafe, couples were tapping their feet to Leonard Cohen's Dance Me to the End of Love. They were not wearing flak jackets. Or carrying gas masks. But some are taking precautions. Israelis fearful that an attack on Iran might bring revenge rockets from Hezbollah have collected gas masks from distribution centres. » Read more

UN investigator condemns Corrie court ruling ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 31, 2012 - 12:00am A UN investigator condemned an Israeli court on Thursday for clearing the military of blame for the death of American activist crushed by an army bulldozer, calling it a "victory for impunity". The ruling handed down on Tuesday on the civil suit brought by the family of Rachel Corrie was part of a pattern of decisions exonerating Israeli military actions and political leaders, said Richard Falk, United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories. » Read more

Ya'alon: US undermining military threat against Iran ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Reuters August 31, 2012 - 12:00am Vice Premier Moshe Ya'alon said on Friday he feared Iran did not believe it faced a real military threat from the outside world because of mixed messages from foreign powers, including the United States. "We have an exchange of views, including with our friends in the United States, who in our opinion, are in part responsible for this feeling in Iran," he told Israel's 100FM radio station. » Read more

Lieberman compares Palestinian FM to Goebbels ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews by Attila Somfalvi - August 31, 2012 - 12:00am Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman compared his Palestinian counterpart to infamous Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Lieberman made the harsh statements following Riyad Al-Maliki's speech at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Tehran earlier this week. » Read more

Visit Israel at your own risk, warn many Western countries ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz by Ilan Lior - August 31, 2012 - 12:00am Israel has long starred in other countries' travel advisories, and reading these warnings isn't particularly flattering. The warnings about terror attacks are predictable: Most countries urge their citizens to stay alert while visiting Israel and to avoid certain areas, such as Gaza, the Lebanese and Egyptian borders, and sometimes the West Bank - though no country has yet included a warning about the Iranian threat. » Read more

Gaza authorities plan to block online pornography ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency August 31, 2012 - 12:00am GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The Gaza government's ministry of communications announced on Thursday it would block access to pornographic websites starting in September. Ministry licensing head Kamal al-Masr said they the authorities had asked the 10 main Internet providers operating in Gaza to block the sites from Sept. 1, after a government decision a week earlier. Any violations of the decision will be punished under Palestinian communications and penal law, he added. » Read more