Dumb Thieves

I loved this story and I could tell that Elie enjoyed it during our recent conversations. It’s a short one…short, and dumb.

Some Arabs stole a car. I guess that isn’t dumb, but it certainly isn’t honest. Actually, it was a van, not a car.
Actually, it was a van that belonged to an army unit (in this case, Elie’s). That was dumb.

The van was in Tel Aviv when it was stolen. The Arabs immediately headed for safer territory – they headed towards the West Bank. Now, if your car is stolen, or mine (as it was several years ago); the technology may exist to locate the car, but the police and army aren’t going to use that technology too much because, well, it’s expensive and I guess it’s only a car. But you steal an army car…they’re going to find it.

But in this case, the Arabs decided to help simplify things. Elie’s unit was alerted to the fact that the van was stolen. Elie’s unit was alerted to the fact that the van was on the move…and heading straight for them. They went over to the military police and explained – if you see a van…and they described it perfectly because, well, after all, it was theirs. And if it has this logo on it – and they showed them the logo they all wore on their uniforms…if you see this van – stop it.

And so, as the Arabs drove right up to Elie’s checkpoint, guns went up and the Arabs quickly surrendered without a single shot being fired. Elie and his troops relieved the Arabs of their stolen merchandise and arrested them.

And thus ends the story of the dumb thieves who stole a van and then drove it straight into the waiting arms of the very unit from which it was stolen.

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