An Israeli couple and their approximately one-year-old baby were rescued from Jericho on Tuesday after allegedly entering Area A, under the control of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority, to go shopping, according to the investigation. Law enforcement officials acted to locate and successfully extract the family after receiving a report that they had entered the area.
The couple, Jerusalem residents in their 30s and 40s, entered Jericho with their infant son despite Israeli law prohibiting Israelis from entering Area A. Police instructed and guided the family out of Jericho. Upon leaving the city, both adults were detained and questioned under caution at the Jordan Valley police station.
The incident follows a series of similar cases. Less than a year ago, as previously reported, a mother and her young daughter were found wandering through central Bethlehem, which is also designated Area A. An investigation found that their entry was not accidental but deliberate—despite Israeli authorities repeatedly warning that entering areas under ‘Palestinian’ Authority control is prohibited by law and can endanger Israeli lives.