Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has ordered financing for public shuttles to and from yeshiva and girls’ high schools in Judea and Samaria on the weekends, it was announced Tuesday.
The prime minister told his staff to allocate NIS 4 million (approx. $1.15 million) for the shuttles, which will apparently will operate on Thursday nights, Fridays, Saturday nights and Sundays.
The decision was made in order to discourage hitchhiking, which has become a way of life in Judea and Samaria in order to deal with the infrequent and inadequate public bus service in the region. Although there are numerous political and financial reasons for the sketchy bus service, the bottom line results in Jewish residents of all ages hitchhiking on unsafe roads at all hours of the day and night.
Last Thursday evening, the price for that fact cost three families their teenage sons: a terrorist organization kidnapped two 16 year olds and a 19 year old, all of whom were students at the renowned Mekor Chaim Yeshiva in Kfar Etzion. The boys were in Gush Etzion, hitchhiking home for the Sabbath when they were abducted.