The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday froze any application of an order prohibiting Israeli citizens from giving rides in their cars to Palestinian residents of the West Bank without special permission.

The planned order has been severely criticized by lawyers and human rights organizations, and petitions against it have been filed in the High Court of Justice.

GOC Central Command Yair Naveh, who issued the order, said the decision to freeze its application reflected both operational and unsettled legal issues.

	Advertisement

The order was said to help stop the smuggling of Palestinians into Israel in cars that belong to Israelis (for the most part, Israeli Arabs). The order was made public November 19, and was set to go into effect Friday.

A statement released by the IDF on Wednesday said that the implementation of the order "will be postponed until further evaluation... by the official authorities."

Shin Bet security service and IDF probes of suicide bombings in recent years show that in a not-insignificant number of the bombings, terrorists received transport help from Israeli Arabs who had the right license plates to pass through West Bank checkpoints without thorough inspection.

Human rights organizations call the order racist, saying it would disrupt even minimal social contacts between Israelis and Palestinians. They also expressed concern the order would hamper the work of international organizations, and would even further restrict Palestinian movement throughout the West Bank.