After latest of similar incidents, police warn cab drivers to beware.
By JPOST.COM STAFFtaxi 88(photo credit: )
Yet another Israeli taxi driver fell victim to a robbery attempt in the West Bank Friday afternoon, the latest instance of a growing trend in which taxi drivers from the center of the country are lured by Palestinians into the West Bank and then robbed.
The driver, a resident of Petah Tikva, was enticed by an offer of cheap vehicle parts to drive to the village of Kfar Beit Fajar, near Gush Etzion.
When he arrived at the meeting point, a number of Palestinians awaited the driver. They attacked him with tear gas and attempted to steal the taxi.
The driver fled on foot to the nearby settlement of Migdal Oz, where MDA teams treated him for his injuries.
The taxi was later recovered and inspected by police bomb squads in order to ensure that no explosives had been planted on the vehicle.
In response to the incident, Israel Police reiterated their request that drivers not enter dangerous areas. They noted that this was the latest incident of a disturbing trend in which taxi drivers were enticed to travel from the center of the country to the West Bank, and were then attacked with the intent of stealing the taxi. In most cases, drivers were directed to specific villages and offered cash payments above the average in exchange for the journey.
