Car repair? Not in PA (archives)
Photo: Israel Police
Jail sentence for repairing car in West Bank
Knesset approves bill determining that Israelis caught repairing their vehicle within Palestinian Authority territories could be sent to prison for up to three years
The Knesset on Monday authorized a bill proposal determining that Israelis caught repairing their vehicle within the Palestinian Authority territories would face a prison sentence of up to three years.
The proposal, put forward by Knesset Member Moshe Kahlon (Likud), passed its second and third readings by a 12-MK majority – none objected or abstained.
The law will only be valid for the next two years, but the internal security minister will be authorized to extend it by two more years with the approval of the transportation minister and the Knesset's Economics Committee.
MK Gilad Erdan (Likud), chairman of the Economics Committee, who presented the proposal at the Knesset plenum, said that "the bill is aimed at preventing the transfer of vehicles from Israel into the Palestinian territories.
"Data presented to the Economics Committee by police representatives revealed that spare parts of vehicles used for repair in the PA's garages usually come from cars stolen in Israel.
"Moreover, the data also reveal that a significant part of the vehicles repaired in the PA territories were found to be severely flawed and had to be taken off the roads. In other words, the 'repaired' cars in fact constituted an immediate safety risk for their users."
According to Erdan, the new law would hurt the incentive to steal cars in Israel and would also break off any possible linkage between the chop shops and terror elements.
MK Kahlon said following the vote, "This law will significantly reduce the car thefts in Israel. A large part of the vehicles stolen in Israel are dismantled in the territories, and their parts are installed in vehicles repaired in the PA's garages."
