Palestinian Authority Arabs unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap Jewish girls from Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) on Sunday evening.
A number of Jewish girls reported that a vehicle driven by PA Arabs stopped next to them as they were standing at a hitchhiking station at the Ofra junction in Binyamin.
The Arabs tried to convince the girls to get into the car. The girls refused and called local security forces.
The Judea and Samaria District of the Israel Police and the IDF Spokesman said that the vehicle fled the scene and added that IDF troops were searching the area in an attempt to locate the Arabs.
Responding to the attempted kidnapping, Itzik Shadmi, chairman of the Binyamin Residents' Council, said, “About a week ago we warned that the thefts from local farmers will also encourage the Arabs to hurt the residents themselves. Unfortunately tonight we saw how terrorism has once again raised its head.”
He added, "We urge residents to increase their vigilance and strengthen the security forces in their efforts to keep the residents safe and eliminate terrorist cells.”
In July, an Arab carjacking gang robbed two young Israeli men near Shilo, in the Binyamin region. Ten masked robbers fell on the two, attacking them and stealing their car.
The two were able to make their way on foot to the nearby Jewish town of Eish Kodesh. Their car was found a short time later in the nearby Arab town of Kfar Duma. It had been crashed.
In May, security agents cracked a terrorist cell that roamed Judea and Samaria and failed several times to kidnap residents, especially women.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) cell planned to post a video on the Internet after a kidnapping in order to negotiate for the release of jailed terrorists. The cell planned to stage the attacks with stun guns and tear gas.
They used the method of faking a disabled vehicle or of simply blocking two-lane highways in Judea and Samaria. Most of the attempted kidnaps were reported by Arutz Sheva but they were mostly overlooked by mainstream media.
The IDF Central Command recently started to hand out kits with information on avoiding kidnapping to residents of Judea and Samaria.
The kit includes instructional videos and guidebooks on improving personal security. Kits have been distributed to security coordinators in Judea and Samaria, who will distribute them further and educate the population regarding the threat.