Palestinian illegals nabbed in ‘Shas’ van on Shabbat

Border Police officers on Saturday arrested 28 Palestinians suspected of illegally entering Israel, some of whom were caught in a van bedecked with stickers from an ultra-Orthodox party driving on the Sabbath. It was not immediately clear if the van had been stolen.

The arrests took place along Route 6, the northern section of which runs adjacent to the West Bank.

Another six people were arrested for allegedly transporting the illegals into Israel, Hebrew media reports said.

Initial reports did not specify if these six were Israeli or Palestinian.

Footage from one of the arrests showed a Border Police officer opening the door of a van with a large sticker from the ultra-Orthodox Shas party on the window. Eight men, alleged to have illegally entered the country from the West Bank, were seen exiting the vehicle.

Jewish law forbids driving on Shabbat; the Shas sticker therefore raised the suspicion of the Border Police officers who stopped the van.

The van also had a “For Sale” sign posted in the back window, on which it was written, also in accordance with Jewish law, not to phone on Shabbat.