In recent days several female Jewish drivers have been attacked by Palestinian Authority Arabs while on the roads in Judea and Samaria (Shomron).

At least three Jewish women were the victims of violent carjackings in the last seven days alone. Each of the women was forced off the road when it was blocked by armed PA Arabs, then dragged roughly from her vehicle by the attackers and thrown down on the road, while they made off with her car.

Israeli cars have yellow license plates, making them distinguishable from PA license plates and there are obviously Arabs along the road who let the carjackers know when women pass them while driving alone.

On Sunday, dozens of residents of the Shomron town of Kedumim responded by blocking PA drivers from merging onto Route 55.

“If we can’t travel safely on the highways, they won’t either,” the protesters explained.

Their goal was also to send a message to security forces after the highway attacks, they said. “We expect the army and police to focus on preventing these kind of incidents,” they demanded. 

“If they do not,” protesters added, “we know how to defend ourselves.”

Protesters took the time to hold prayers on the roadside.

Attacks by Arabs on Israeli drivers have been on the rise since last year. Several violent attacks have been reported in recent weeks.