A major undercover sting operation has netted four suspects in a million-shekel pharmaceutical scam operation in the eastern section of the capital.

Two Israeli Arab doctors, a pharmacist and the head of a Jerusalem pharmacy were remanded into custody Tuesday for three to four days each on charges of fraud.

According to the rap sheet, doctors wrote out fake prescriptions worth hundreds of shekels at the Clalit health maintenance organization, and then split the profits with the pharmacist and head of the pharmacy. The deals reached some million shekels, according to police.

Firebombing Near Bethlehem, No Injuries

Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs attacked Israeli motorists driving south of the PA-controlled Judean city of Bethlehem Tuesday night.

The attackers scored a direct hit after hurling a firebomb at the vehicle. No one was injured but the vehicle was severely damaged.

Weapons Discovered, Arrests Made in Judea and Samaria

IDF soldiers confiscated several weapons from terrorists during arrest operations conducted early Wednesday morning.  Soldiers confiscated a pistol while searching a terrorist’s house in a village near Tul Karem.

In searches conducted in the city of Tul Karem itself, soldiers found a Kalashnikov rifle with four matching magazines, an M-16 with two magazines, a pistol with three magazines, and five knives.  The weapons were confiscated.

In various operations, 17 wanted terrorists early Wednesday morning.  Five were arrested in Tul Karem and surrounding villages, three were arrested in Shechem, seven were arrested in the Ramallah region, and two were arrested near Hevron.

One of the larger operations took place in the dormitory of  a teachers’ college in Ramallah. The IDF instructed armed PA forces to clear the area shortly before the operation began.

The arrested terrorists were handed over to the Shabak (General Security Service) for interrogation.

Egyptians Reopen Rafiah Terminal Tuesday

Egypt opened the Rafiah terminal for a single day Tuesday in order to allow Egyptian citizens to return to the country from Gaza.

Some 350 Egyptians were stuck on the Gaza side of the border after crossing for an illegal visit after Hamas terrorists blew up the border fence two months ago, allowing a flood of PA Arabs to rush into Egypt.



Senior IDF officers spoke anonymously with various news agencies Tuesday, opposing Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s overtures indicating willingness to allow PA troops to oversee the Gaza crossings.

NATO Arrives in Israel for Training Exercise

A NATO naval force of six frigates under the command of Admiral Artugrol of the Turkish navy arrived Monday morning at the Haifa port for a joint training exercise with Israeli missile boats "in order to improve and strengthen the cooperation between NATO and the Israeli navy," according to an IDF release.

Three NATO boats and two Israeli missile boats, the INS Lahav, a Sa'ar 5 class corvette, and the INS Keshet, a Nirit class missile boat, participated in the exercise. The NATO naval vessels are scheduled to leave Israel in a few days.



During the visit, the NATO force hosted a formal dinner on board the naval vessel "Sailihreis" with the participation of Admiral Artugrol, the ambassadors of the countries whose naval vessels participants in the force, senior Israel Navy officers and other guests. During the visit, a demonstration of naval capabilities took place, as well as an exchange of information on a range of topics.



"It is important to emphasize that this year, for the first time, the Israel Navy posted an officer to NATO headquarter in Napoli, to serve as the liaison between the IDF and NATO's southern command," the IDF statement said. "The officer is based permanently in Napoli and is responsible for coordination with NATO and the transfer of information between NATO and the IDF. The officer was posted to Napoli, after an evaluative process over a period of years. The posting constitutes a significant step in strengthening the connection between the IDF and NATO."

Carcinogen Found for 2nd Time in F-16i Fighter Jets

A team of Israel Air Force officials has been sent to the Lockheed Martin plant in Texas where the F-16i Sufa "Storm" fighter jet is built, after a carcinogen was again found in the cockpits of two of the aircraft, it was announced Tuesday.

The discovery comes a week after the substance, formaldehyde, was found in two other cockpits in the same type of aircraft. IAF Commander Eliezer Shkedy immediately grounded all F-16i jets until further notice. Pilots had been complaining of irritation of throat and mucous membrane for three years, with a sharp rise in recent months, but IAF officials said investigations turned up no results.

Commander Shkedy arranged for all F-16i pilots to meet with the IAF medical director to discuss the situation.