There was yet another carjacking attempt in the Binyamin region of Samaria on Monday afternoon near the Jewish community of Pesagot.

A Jewish Israeli driver from Pesagot reported that a car blocked the road he was driving on and four Arab men exited the vehicle to approach. He made a quick U-turn and fled.

In the past several weeks there has been a sharp rise in the number of attempts by Arabs to carjack Jews driving in the region, most of them targeting Jewish women driving alone at night.

The Arab gangs from Palestinian Authority enclaves have also become more aggressive in their efforts, and have begun working in hunting packs.

Last Thursday, several PA Arabs worked together to trap multiple Israeli drivers. PA criminals in one car circled around the intended victims, while another car drove up behind.

In response to public outcry in the region, the IDF has said it will be increasing deployments on along the Binyamin region highways at nighttime.

However, Samaria residents say they are not willing to risk their lives - and the lives of their families - by waiting for the IDF to get a handle on the carjacking problem.

To that end, a group of volunteer civilian guards has begun conducting routine patrols and has its own vehicles on the road to show a stronger security presence. They are equipped with their own vehicles, radios, and weapons.

The volunteer guards did, however, express, hope that they would not permanently replace the IDF, but rather, would serve as a temporary back-up while the army prepares to handle the threat itself.

Several months ago the Israel Police conducted an undercover sting operation that broke-up one carjacking ring operating in a Palestinian Authority enclave.

However, there now appears to be several such gangs operating in the region. It remains unclear what, if anything, police are doing to put a stop to the phenomenon.

Local residents say the trend is doubly disturbing due to the intense political tensions in the region, which lends the carjacking wave the tenor of national violence.

With numerous terror groups operating in the region, and anti- Semitism rampant in PA enclaves, local residents fear it is only a short step from carjacking to the kidnapping or murder of Israelis. (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 05/14/12)