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Source: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0511/S00114.htm
Ex-Car Thief Aims to Revive Business in Gaza
(Scoop-New Zealand) Yasser Abu Moailek - Abdel Rahman once headed a large car theft ring in Gaza. He said stealing Israeli cars and smuggling them to Gaza emerged notably after the signing of the Oslo peace accords in 1993 and the inception of the PA in 1994. The accords created what car thieves describe as a safe haven for them to retreat with their bounty. "We started in early 1994," he said, "when Palestinians flooded freely into Israel with the prospects of peace. We brought back a steady stream of late-model vehicles, for personal use, for resale, for chop shops, and - for the luxury cars at least - shiny limos for [Palestinian] VIPs." The PA found itself providing the legal cover for these cars - though clearly labeling them as stolen on the license plates. After the violence broke out in September 2000, "borders were closed shut...and we were unable to smuggle anything through....We were suddenly out of work."