The Israeli police announced that they pursued a car driven by a Palestinian man in the West Bank after receiving reports indicating the possible kidnapping of an armed Israeli soldier, before it later became clear that the two parties had a romantic relationship.
The Times of Israel newspaper reported that police forces were sent to the Gush Etzion area after receiving information about an Israeli female soldier who got into a car with Palestinian license plates, which raised fears that she had been kidnapped.
The newspaper added that the police intercepted the car on Route 375 near the Beitar Illit settlement, where the female soldier was sitting inside it. After verification, it became clear that the suspicion was misplaced.
She indicated that the police took the female soldier and the Palestinian man to a nearby police station, confiscated the female soldier’s weapon, and referred a report on the incident to the military police.
The newspaper explained that Israeli law does not prohibit the establishment of romantic relationships between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, but these relationships are considered a violation of army protocols, and soldiers have previously been subjected to penalties because of them.
