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| Violence Erupts After 2 Israeli Soldiers Using Waze App Get Lost in West Bank | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two Israeli soldiers using the navigation app Waze accidentally entered an unruly refugee camp in the West Bank, provoking clashes and a gun battle that led to the death of a Palestinian man. | RAMALLAH, West Bank — Two Israeli soldiers using the navigation app Waze accidentally entered an unruly refugee camp in the West Bank, provoking clashes and a gun battle that led to the death of a Palestinian man. |
| The soldiers drove into the Kalandia refugee camp in a military vehicle late Monday evening and were immediately attacked by Palestinians, who apparently suspected the military was conducting a raid in the dense maze of cinder-block homes. | The soldiers drove into the Kalandia refugee camp in a military vehicle late Monday evening and were immediately attacked by Palestinians, who apparently suspected the military was conducting a raid in the dense maze of cinder-block homes. |
| As the Palestinians began hurling stones and firebombs that were believed to have set the vehicle ablaze, the soldiers fled. | As the Palestinians began hurling stones and firebombs that were believed to have set the vehicle ablaze, the soldiers fled. |
| One of the soldiers was quickly located in a valley between the camp and a nearby Jewish settlement, but there were concerns that the other might have been kidnapped, Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli defense minister, said at a technology conference on Tuesday. | One of the soldiers was quickly located in a valley between the camp and a nearby Jewish settlement, but there were concerns that the other might have been kidnapped, Moshe Yaalon, the Israeli defense minister, said at a technology conference on Tuesday. |
| The missing soldier was eventually found around midnight, but the absence had already prompted Israel to send more forces, including helicopters, into the area, the Israeli news media reported. | The missing soldier was eventually found around midnight, but the absence had already prompted Israel to send more forces, including helicopters, into the area, the Israeli news media reported. |
| A 22-year-old Palestinian man, Iyad Sajadiyya, was subsequently shot and killed, according to Maan, a Palestinian news outlet. Maan identified him as a journalism student. Mr. Yaalon said Mr. Sajadiyya had been armed. | A 22-year-old Palestinian man, Iyad Sajadiyya, was subsequently shot and killed, according to Maan, a Palestinian news outlet. Maan identified him as a journalism student. Mr. Yaalon said Mr. Sajadiyya had been armed. |
| It was unclear why the soldiers were using Waze to navigate near the camp. A statement issued by Waze to Agence France-Presse said that the soldiers had been at fault, with the company suggesting that they had veered off a route suggested by the application. | It was unclear why the soldiers were using Waze to navigate near the camp. A statement issued by Waze to Agence France-Presse said that the soldiers had been at fault, with the company suggesting that they had veered off a route suggested by the application. |
| Waze, a navigation tool developed in Israel, is popular among Israelis. The application’s default setting does not provide navigation in areas of the West Bank considered dangerous to Israelis; the soldiers would have had to turn off its “safe mode” to use it while driving around Kalandia. | Waze, a navigation tool developed in Israel, is popular among Israelis. The application’s default setting does not provide navigation in areas of the West Bank considered dangerous to Israelis; the soldiers would have had to turn off its “safe mode” to use it while driving around Kalandia. |
| Perhaps more important, the application does not distinguish between the different areas of the West Bank’s political map once users take it off safe mode, making it potentially perilous for Israelis and Palestinians who rely on it inside the territory. | Perhaps more important, the application does not distinguish between the different areas of the West Bank’s political map once users take it off safe mode, making it potentially perilous for Israelis and Palestinians who rely on it inside the territory. |
| The West Bank is a mosaic of Palestinian-ruled areas where Israelis may not enter without prior authorization; Jewish settlements where Palestinians may not enter without permits; and Israeli military checkpoints and border crossings. | The West Bank is a mosaic of Palestinian-ruled areas where Israelis may not enter without prior authorization; Jewish settlements where Palestinians may not enter without permits; and Israeli military checkpoints and border crossings. |
| Waze also tends to confuse Palestinian and Israeli areas, which often have the same, or similar, names. | Waze also tends to confuse Palestinian and Israeli areas, which often have the same, or similar, names. |
| In June, two Israeli soldiers who were using Waze accidentally entered the Palestinian city of Tulkarm after they typed in “Beit Lid,” a road junction which lies in Israel. | In June, two Israeli soldiers who were using Waze accidentally entered the Palestinian city of Tulkarm after they typed in “Beit Lid,” a road junction which lies in Israel. |
| Instead, they were directed to Beit Lid, a Palestinian village near Tulkarm. The two female soldiers were escorted out of the area by the Palestinian police. | Instead, they were directed to Beit Lid, a Palestinian village near Tulkarm. The two female soldiers were escorted out of the area by the Palestinian police. |
| There are not one but three Kalandias in Waze: a small Palestinian village, the nearby Kalandia military crossing operated by Israeli soldiers, and the Kalandia refugee camp. | There are not one but three Kalandias in Waze: a small Palestinian village, the nearby Kalandia military crossing operated by Israeli soldiers, and the Kalandia refugee camp. |
| Speaking at the conference, Mr. Yaalon said Waze had directed the soldiers to a shortcut between Jerusalem and nearby Ramallah, a city in the West Bank. | Speaking at the conference, Mr. Yaalon said Waze had directed the soldiers to a shortcut between Jerusalem and nearby Ramallah, a city in the West Bank. |
| “I have learned a long time ago that despite GPS, we must not forget navigation by map,” Mr. Yaalon said. Technological systems, he noted, “do not take into account all of the considerations.” | “I have learned a long time ago that despite GPS, we must not forget navigation by map,” Mr. Yaalon said. Technological systems, he noted, “do not take into account all of the considerations.” |
| The episode inspired wry commentary about the Israeli military’s presence in the West Bank. | The episode inspired wry commentary about the Israeli military’s presence in the West Bank. |
| “Waze isn’t the problem,” Khaled Diab, an Egyptian-Belgian writer living in Jerusalem, posted on Twitter. “Its Israel’s faulty political navigation system which led it into a decades-long occupation.” | “Waze isn’t the problem,” Khaled Diab, an Egyptian-Belgian writer living in Jerusalem, posted on Twitter. “Its Israel’s faulty political navigation system which led it into a decades-long occupation.” |
| Israelis had questions of their own. One reporter asked Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni, a former central commander, on Israeli radio: “Do soldiers now count on Waze? Don’t they learn to navigate and read maps?” | Israelis had questions of their own. One reporter asked Maj. Gen. Gadi Shamni, a former central commander, on Israeli radio: “Do soldiers now count on Waze? Don’t they learn to navigate and read maps?” |
| General Shamni said that soldiers did learn to navigate and that the matter would be investigated. “In general, in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical term for the West Bank, “the situation calls for greater caution.” | General Shamni said that soldiers did learn to navigate and that the matter would be investigated. “In general, in Judea and Samaria,” he said, using the biblical term for the West Bank, “the situation calls for greater caution.” |
| In its statement, Waze said that the soldiers had disabled the so-called safe mode. The company also noted that there was a large red sign on the road to the refugee camp warning Israelis that it was dangerous and that they were prohibited to travel there. | In its statement, Waze said that the soldiers had disabled the so-called safe mode. The company also noted that there was a large red sign on the road to the refugee camp warning Israelis that it was dangerous and that they were prohibited to travel there. |