Three Palestinians confessed to the attempted kidnap Sunday evening of a settler from the West Bank outpost of Kida. They were arrested shortly after their intended victim told the Israel Defense Forces that the men had tried to force him into their vehicle as he was looking for a ride near the Eli Junction, north of Ramallah.

A similar incident was reported at Tapuah Junction, farther north. Palestinians dressed like Jewish settlers stopped for a group of young hitchhikers but said they had room for only one person.

Shortly after the Eli Junction incident was reported, three Palestinians in a Fiat with Israeli license plates that fit the description given by the settler were stopped at the Border Police checkpoint at Bir Zeit, south of Eli. Guns and ammunition were found in their possession. The men, who were handed over to the Shin Bet for questioning, belong to a terrorist cell linked to Hamas.