News in Brief II

Charges were brought against an IDF soldier at the Haifa Military Court, for his role in an assault against a Palestinian activist a month ago. The soldier, serving in a combat unit, was arrested two weeks ago following a complaint filed by the Yesh Din human rights group, for allegedly participating in the beating of Muhammad Hatib, the secretary of the local committee at the village of Bil'in, during a demonstration against the separation fence. A gag order was issued on the identity of the soldier. (Anshel Pfeffer)

The freeze in settlement construction has resulted in a 58 percent drop in the income of the Civil Administration authority from fees charged for West Bank planning and construction in 2009. The statistics do not reflect any change in the construction of homes, as fees are paid directly to the local authority, but in the building of public and commercial buildings in areas between settlements. Until September, NIS 130,000 were collected in fees, suggesting a projected income of NIS 172,000, compared to 2008, when a total of NIS 410,000 was collected in fees. (Chaim Levinson)

A joint anti-ballistic missile exercise between the United States and Israel is set to begin today. The exercise is scheduled to last two weeks, with a variety of scenarios tested. The drill will involve the Home Front in response to missiles striking Israel. Since 2001, the two countries have held the exercise every two years, but this year the exercise is larger and involves more U.S. Navy ships whose Aegis air defense systems will be incorporated into scenarios involving ground-based THAAD and Patriot PAC-3 missiles. Also part of the exercise will be the X-Band radar operated by U.S. crews, and Israeli crews manning Patriot and Arrow missiles. (Anshel Pfeffer)

Bodyguards subdued a Palestinian man yesterday as he approached Middle East envoy Tony Blair, shouting "You are a terrorist." The former British prime minister was verbally assailed while visiting an ancient mosque in Hebron. "He is not welcome in the land of Palestine," the man shouted. Blair, 56, special envoy for the Quartet, gave a tight-lipped smile and a pacifying wave in the general direction of the shouting man, and afterwards played down the incident as not typical of local feelings. (Reuters)

The Supreme Court will not let parents of an American teenager killed in a terrorist attack in Israel collect damages from a man accused of funding Hamas. The court yesterday refused to hear an appeal from the parents of David Boim, a 17-year-old killed in a 1996 drive-by shooting in Beit El on the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority tried one man and sentenced him to 10 years in the case. Boim's family, who moved to Israel from New York City, had sued several U.S.-based Islamic fundraising groups and Mohammed Abdul Hamid Khalil Salah, saying they contributed money to Hamas. (AP)