Traffic jam on Highway 60
Traffic jam on Highway 60Hillel Meir

A resident of Beit El was attacked Wednesday night as he was driving on Road 60 in the Binyamin region in Samaria (Shomron). The man was riding with his wife when two Arabs blocked the road, caused damage to their vehicle, and stole the woman's purse.

Road 60 is the main north-south road in the Binyamin region, extending from Hevron in the south to Shechem in the north. The road is the main access artery for residents of many Arab villages, as well as for Jewish residents of Beit El, Eli, Ofra, Shiloh, and other towns. The road is a two lane highway (one lane in each direction) for much of its length, and Israeli drivers are sometimes targeted by Arab thieves and terrorists.

In the latest incident, the couple told Arutz Sheva that two Arabs, using what turned out to be a stolen Israeli car, passed the Jewish driver at high speed and stopped up ahead, in a spot where the driver could not pass them. They then exited the stolen vehicle and smashed the headlight of the Jewish driver's vehicle.

They then attacked the driver and began beating him. The driver said that he was afraid that he would be killed as a terror attack victim, but the Arabs suddenly ceased hitting him, grabbed his wife's purse and ran away.

The driver immediately alerted security officials, who arrived on the scene quickly and gave chase to the thieves. Police were able to track down the vehicle, and halted it at a roadblock – which the Arabs tried to jump. The Arabs were arrested and are currently being questioned.

The Jewish driver was treated at a medical center, and the woman's purse was returned to her.

Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria often accuse local Arabs of specifically targeting Jewish civilians for criminal attacks in the region, motivated both greed and nationalistic prejudices.