Israeli drivers are giving up on using Route 443 by the masses as the highway has become the center point of stone and Molotov cocktail throwing by Palestinians. 

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Every day, tens of thousands use the major highway, which separates Jerusalem from central Israel. But with the increased attacks in recent months, a disaster is just a matter of time. 

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Dashcam footage that circulated on social media this week showed an Israeli vehicle driving on Route 443, when a Molotov cocktail was hurled onto the street, missing the car by an inch. 

Data obtained by Israel Hayom showed that from the beginning of 2023, a shocking 50 cases were reported on the highway. The actual number is most likely even higher as not every case is reported. 

The most recent incident occurred on Thursday, when Palestinians threw rocks at an Israeli driver, who was lightly injured, but, thankfully, managed to maintain control of the car. 

What complicates matters is that security in the area is lacking as the IDF only operates one squadron, which is abysmally little compared to the manpower it uses for the same areas territory-wise in Judea and Samaria.

Oftentimes, these units are underequipped and undertrained in tackling terrorism. Most recently, Israel Hayom learned that officers are not even equipped with bulletproof vests, which makes pursuing a suspect in nearby Palestinian villages almost impossible. 

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The past year recorded a troubling increase in stone-throwing incidents on Highways 6 and 64 despite the fact that throughout the year, sections of the road were closed off and traffic was limited due to the coronavirus outbreak, data released by the Israel Police on Wednesday showed.

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According to police data, 110 stone-throwing incidents took place on Highway 6 alone in 2020, compared to 103 in 2019.

Some 28 such incidents took place around Wadi Ara in northern Israel – an area surrounded by Arab villages. Here, too, there was an increase from 2019, when 23 stoning attacks were recorded.

The police also revealed that in recent years, incidents in which Palestinian terrorists hurl rocks on moving Israeli vehicles – a potentially life-threatening assault – have been spreading to Israel's central highways. Nevertheless, they remain most common in Judea and Samaria.

Until 1990, drivers involved in such incidents were considered as having been in a car incident. That same year, the government changed the law to acknowledge such incidents as acts of terrorism, designating the perpetrators as terrorists.

Haim Bleicher, head of the right-wing Honenu legal aid organization, said, "The police's report confirms the public's suspicion that terrorism is hitting Israel's main roads. Unfortunately, it seems that not enough has been done to eradicate such acts of terror, most of which are committed by those who possess Israeli identity documents."

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