ONE of the few remaining areas of cooperation between the Israelis and Palestinians has fallen casualty to their conflict, with the outlawing by Israel of cross-border car repairs.
An Israeli citizen caught having his car fixed in a West Bank garage can now find himself in prison for three years.
The legislation comes at the initiative of right-wing Likud Party MPs and targets those Israelis who enter Palestinian cities to
take advantage of the considerably cheaper car repair prices there.
It also aims to stop the transport of Israeli vehicles to Palestinian garages for the stripping of spare parts after accidents. About 50 cars a day are dismantled with the parts going back to Israel, according to police.
Since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising seven years ago, Israeli Jews have reduced travel to Palestinian areas out of safety concerns. Those still frequenting Palestinian garages are primarily members of Israel's Arab minority, which makes up 20 per cent of the population.
Moshe Cahlon, the MP sponsoring the legislation, said it would significantly improve road safety by reducing the number of vehicles with parts that do not meet Israeli standards.
"With time, this legislation will bring about a dramatic decrease in the number of stolen cars, will help develop the Israeli economy and boost employment," he said.
"Most importantly, it will reduce the number of casualties from auto accidents."
Israeli Arab legislators, however, are condemning the law as "racist" and say it will deal another blow to the already depressed Palestinian economy.
"To portray this as being aimed to increase safety is inaccurate," said Arab MP Jamal Zahalke. "Every Israeli car undergoes inspection each year so if there are any problems with safety, it can be controlled. And a lot of garages inside Israel trade in stolen parts also."
The full article contains 309 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
