Israeli inspectors thwart smuggling from PA

Since the beginning of the Jewish year in September 2021, more than 310 tons of banned vegetables were seized by Israeli authorities.

By TPS

Inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture thwarted an attempt to smuggle 19 tons of unsupervised agricultural produce from the Palestinian Authority (PA) at a checkpoint in Samaria over the weekend.

The inspectors collected intelligence ahead of time and followed the truck carrying the illicit produce from the point of departure in the PA village of Tubas, near Jenin, for about 130 km. They stopped truck near the checkpoint.

The vegetables, which include cabbage, lettuce, parsley and more, were likely smuggled for marketing in the southern city of Kiryat Gat.

The truck driver, known to the unit from previous incidents, was detained for questioning.

The incident was part of a broad operation to thwart the smuggling of agricultural produce during the Jewish shemita (Sabbatical) year, which increased significantly in recent months.

Since the beginning of the shemita year in September 2021, more than 310 tons of banned vegetables have been seized by Israeli authorities.

Agricultural crimeIsraeli agricultureJewish lawJudea and SamariaPalestinian Authorityshmita