A year after three hitchhiking Israeli teens were abducted and murdered—events that sparked last summer’s Gaza war—the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has decided to implement a new practice to improve the security of hitchhikers in Judea and Samaria.
Israel Hayom reported that the IDF will be sending reservists in civilian vehicles to provide security for hitchhikers in the territories. The cars will travel past popular hitchhiking spots each afternoon and into the night, observing the roads and looking out for suspicious sights.
The timing of the program coincides with summer vacation, when youngsters are more likely to be looking for rides, as well as with the recent rise in terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem. It also comes at a time when intelligence authorities have received several reports of plots to carry out another abduction.
Har Hebron Regional Council head Yochai Damari had approached the commander of the Judea Brigade, Col. Yariv Ben-Ezra, asking to increase security due to a lack of public transport. Even after last year’s abduction/murder, residents of Judea and Samaria of all ages have not stopped hitchhiking.
“Telling our children not to hitchhike does not work,” Damari said.
JNS.ORG
{Matzav.com}
The solution seems simple: before anyone gets into a car let him call or text the license number to the police or family or friend, and if the car’s driver objects that immediately arouses suspicion. The police should set up a computer to receive this info, and follow up info for when the hitchhiker reaches his destination, and if he fails to reach it in a reasonable time to investigate. Please pass this on to the appropriate authorities.
As a followup to my previous suggestion: It should be very easy to develop an app that will send a picture of the car including its license plate and its driver to a central repository and also give the present location and destination, and then followup as the trip progresses. If the hitchhiker doesn’t have a phone with that capability, let him ask someone else nearby to take a picture, making sure that the driver sees it. If the driver objects, report him as suspect. That should certainly discourage enemies from trying to pick up anyone who uses that app.
what happened to the increased bus routes for Judea and Samaria???