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Israeli driver caught with Palestinian man in trunk

Afula resident claims he doesn't know how Palestinian man entered his vehicle, while illegal passenger says paid driver NIS 200 for ride into Israel

How did a Palestinian man get into the trunk of a cook from Afula? A 33-year-old Afula resident was arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle a Palestinian man without a stay permit into Israel.

 

During his investigation, the man claimed he had no idea how the man entered his vehicle, but the Palestinian passenger recounted a different version of the story.

 

Soldiers posted at an IDF roadblock near the West Bank signaled an Israeli to stop for a routine inspection. A female soldier asked the driver, Nir Merotz Tale from Afula, to open the trunk of his car, but the driver refused and allegedly tried to break through the barrier and flee the scene.

 

Meanwhile, another female soldier scattered spikes along the road, and the driver was forced to stop. He opened the trunk and the soldiers were surprised to find a Palestinian man lying inside.

 

The driver told police officers who were called to the scene that he doesn’t know how the man entered his vehicle. According to Tale, he stopped in one of the villages in the West Bank to eat, and perhaps it was then that the Palestinian snuck into the trunk.

 

When asked why he tried to escape the scene, the man claimed he was frightened by the soldier's shouts.

 

Different Version

However, during his interrogation, the Palestinian man recounted a different version. He told investigators that Tale asked him for NIS 250 (about $68) in order to drive him into Israel. After negotiating briefly, the men agreed on the amount of NIS 200 (about $54).

 

The Palestinian said he sat alongside the driver until they approached the roadblock, at which point he got into the trunk. He even pointed to a water bottle inside the vehicle, from which he claims he drank during the ride.

 

The investigators held a confrontation between the two men, after which they decided to arrest the Israeli driver.

 

During Tale's remand hearing at the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court, the police requested to extend his arrest.

 

The suspect's defense attorney asked that her client be released, claiming he had no prior criminal record, had a steady job as a cook in a hotel, and is the father of young children.

 

In her ruling, Judge Nitza Mimon Sha'ashua pointed to the dangerous nature of the allegations ascribed to Tale and instructed to extend his arrest by four days.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 02.26.11, 13:05
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