Is it necessary to reserve a car in advance if you want to drive in Palestinian Authority territories. I realize that you need to rent a car from agencies that specifically serve those areas. I just want to know if I can rent a car upon arrival at their rental location without a reservation.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Ha, ha. Serious replies only, please.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA, USA
1027 posts
I removed a post. Yes, please stick to answering the question directly. Thanks!
Posted by
Houston, TX
487 posts
You might have more luck getting an answer in the TripAdvisor forum for Israel/Palestine. That group is pretty active and could probably answer your question.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
I will give them a try. Thanks.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
It's not agencies that specificall serve those areas, it's that you have to rent a car in the West Bank to drive it in the West Bank. You are not allowed to take a rental car into the West Bank that you pick up in Israel. Among other issues, it's a question of insurance coverage. I'm not sure how it would work if you want to drive from, say, Nablus to Bethlehem or Jericho, and the only decent road involves driving in part through Israeli territory.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Thank you for your reply. I apologize for my tardy response. I have been thinking about your comment. My credit card has collision damage coverage. Would this not fulfill the requirement for driving in the West Bank and Israel? Is there some other issue that is involved here. I look forward to hearing from you again. Thank you again for your response.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
My credit card has collision damage coverage. Would this not fulfill the requirement for driving in the West Bank and Israel?
I don't think it is collision damage they are worried about. Driving a car with Israeli number plates into the wrong part of the West Bank while there is any sort of disturbances going on would invite a stoning or worse. I don't think your credit card would cover riot damage! ☺
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11946 posts
Car rental agencies usually do not have 100% of their fleet out, but there are times when that occurs. You are rolling the dice on a walk up rental.
Others have already touched upon the issues of crossing borders with a rental. The only place I can think of that is less likely to allow crossing a border with rental cars is North and South Korea.
I think you better check your credit card coverage. It seems Israel, along with Italy, is one of the commonly EXCLUDED coverage areas/countries.
Posted by
OP
8 posts
Thank you for responding. The reason for my question is that I have contacted two rental car agencies in east Jerusalem that rent cars with Palestinian Authority plates. Both of them want me to email a copy of my passport, driver's license, and both sides of my credit card to reserve a car. I am extremely uncomfortable with that. Am I being overly cautious? To my knowledge, none of the major auto rental companies will rent vehicles with insurance coverage for Palestinian controlled territory, specifically Area "A." I look forward to hearing from anyone with experience on this subject. Thank you.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11946 posts
I would never email a copy of my credit card to anyone. Providing a cc # on a secure sight to make a reservation, details what the card/charge is for. Just handing over the credit card and your other info is a akin to signing a blank check, in my view.
My "spidey' sense tells me I am smelling last weeks fish
At the very least I would get enough info on the rental agencies to feel confident they are legitimate before even thinking about complying with their request.
I urge an abundance of caution