Israel Imposes New Administrative Fines on Vehicle Repairs in Palestinian Authority Areas

The Israeli Ministry of Justice has introduced a new regulation imposing administrative fines for various offenses related to vehicle repairs in Palestinian Authority (PA) territories. This regulation, pending approval by the Knesset's Economic Committee, aims to combat vehicle theft and the possession of unregistered spare parts. Israelis who choose to repair their vehicles in PA areas, whether personally or through a driver or intermediary, will soon face fines amounting to thousands of shekels.

Currently, Israeli law prohibits vehicle repairs in PA territories, with penalties including up to three years imprisonment. Workshops using used car parts must maintain detailed records of their origin to prevent the use of stolen parts. Workshops caught with unregistered used parts face fines up to 452,000 shekels. From 2015 to 2023, 153 cases were opened for failure to register car parts, and 328 cases involved Israelis repairing vehicles in PA areas. Of these, 32 indictments were filed for unregistered parts and 14 for unauthorized repairs in PA territories.

Most cases resulted in fines ranging from 300 to 1,500 shekels for unregistered parts and 4,000 to 10,000 shekels for unauthorized repairs, with some cases involving community service or dismissal of charges. To strengthen enforcement, the new regulation sets a fine of 3,000 shekels per unregistered car part found in a workshop, capped at 30,000 shekels per incident. Additionally, Israelis transferring vehicles to PA areas for repairs will be fined 3,000 shekels, and if done through a driver or intermediary, the fine doubles to 6,000 shekels to deter involvement of multiple parties.