Palestinians Held in Stolen Car Scandal

Israeli police have arrested a member of the Palestinian legislative council from the West Bank city of Hebron who was driving a Mercedes allegedly stolen in Israel. A Palestinian general’s chauffeur was also caught with a stolen BMW, officials said. The growing problem of Israeli cars being stolen and taken to Palestinian areas has become a major embarrassment for Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority. A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said parliament has been asked to lift the immunity of the accused lawmaker. The council will ask Israel to hand the lawmaker, who is being held in Jerusalem, over for trial. Also, the driver for a senior official in the Palestinian intelligence agency was arrested by Israelis while driving a stolen BMW, but the driver’s employer was apparently not implicated.