Jerusalem has become one of Israel’s most vulnerable cities for car theft in recent years. Its proximity to open areas and routes used by suspected thieves makes it a prime target. Many stolen vehicles do not remain in the city – instead, they are transferred to areas beyond it, where they are dismantled or resold.
Against this backdrop, police are expanding their efforts beyond Jerusalem itself, focusing also on the destinations where these vehicles end up.
Do stolen cars from Jerusalem reach the village of Funduq?
In recent days, Israeli police forces from the Samaria region, יחד עם Border Police units operating in Judea and Samaria, carried out an enforcement operation in the Palestinian village of Funduq.
The forces raided a suspected lot used for collecting and trading so-called “mashotoba” vehicles – a term referring to unsafe, often improvised or heavily modified cars that do not meet safety standards and are banned from use.
During the operation, based on precise intelligence, dozens of illegal vehicles were located. Sixteen were seized, loaded onto tow trucks and confiscated for destruction.
According to suspicions, the owner of the lot purchases such vehicles and sells them to local residents, creating an active market for dangerous, unregulated cars.
Police also noted that similar vehicles have recently been used in hostile activity, including an attempted attack at Tapuach Junction.
Israel Police stated: “This is an offensive operation aimed first and foremost at increasing public safety and preventing criminal or hostile activity by those holding these dangerous and illegal vehicles. This activity is part of an ongoing effort against the phenomenon of ‘mashotoba’ vehicles.”
Police added that enforcement will continue in the coming period, as part of a broader effort to combat threats to road users – amid the ongoing wave of car theft that often begins in Jerusalem.
