Israel Imposes Heavy Fines for Car Repairs in Palestinian Authority Areas to Combat Theft

The Israeli Ministry of Justice has announced new regulations imposing substantial fines on Israelis who repair their vehicles in Palestinian Authority (PA) territories, either personally or through intermediaries. This move is part of broader amendments to administrative offense regulations aimed at combating vehicle theft. Under the updated rules, Israelis caught repairing cars in PA areas will face fines of thousands of shekels, a penalty that did not previously exist.

Legally, the "Law Limiting Use and Registration of Operations on Used Car Parts" requires anyone repairing vehicles with used parts to maintain records of the parts' origins to prevent the use of stolen components. Repairing vehicles in PA territories is prohibited by law, with offenders subject to up to three years in prison. Garages found with unregistered used parts face fines up to 452,000 shekels.

Between 2015 and 2023, authorities opened 153 cases related to used car part registration violations and 328 cases against Israelis repairing vehicles in PA areas. Of these, 32 garages faced indictments for unregistered parts, and 14 Israelis were indicted for repairs in PA territories. Many vehicles repaired illegally in PA areas were banned from driving.

Previously, fines for unregistered parts ranged from 300 to 1,500 shekels, and fines for illegal repairs in PA areas ranged from 4,000 to 10,000 shekels. The new regulations set a fixed fine of 3,000 shekels per unregistered part found in a garage, capped at 30,000 shekels total. Additionally, any Israeli who sends a car for repair in PA areas will be fined 3,000 shekels, with the fine doubling to 6,000 shekels if a third party is used to transfer the vehicle, aiming to deter both parties involved.

These measures await approval by the Knesset's Economic Committee and reflect the government's intensified efforts to curb vehicle theft and illegal repairs in PA-controlled areas.