West Bank clash with Israeli soldiers kills Palestinian

The soldiers were apparently using the Israeli-developed navigation app “Waze” when they accidentally entered Qalandiya refugee camp in their jeep, according to Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. “And like it has succeeded against apartheid in South Africa at one point in time, it will succeed in Palestine”, said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian legislator.

“[Waze] includes a specific default setting that prevents routes through areas which are marked as unsafe or prohibited for Israelis to drive through”, Waze wrote in the AFP statement. According to COGAT, 58,000 Palestinians hold permits to work in Israel, with another 27,000 working for Israeli businesses in West Bank settlements and industrial zones. But drivers can turn off the option to “Avoid Dangerous Areas” in the settings feature of the app’s menu.

Palestinian media reports say the army then brought in a bulldozer to extricate the soldiers burnt vehicle.

The two Israeli soldiers – from a military dog unit – mistakenly entered the volatile Qalandia camp in the West Bank where they were pelted with rocks and firebombs, said Israeli a military spokesman, Motti Almoz. To reach Qalandiya, the soldiers would have had to pass by the so-called separation barrier and through an Israeli checkpoint.

The invasion led to clashes between the soldiers and dozens of local youngsters, who hurled stones and empty bottles at them.

The management said it would fight the government’s decision. He was hiding in a nearby yard and was found within half an hour. But the search and rescue operation had disintegrated, a fierce battle now raged as Palestinians armed with automatic weapons had joined the fray.

A witness described Qalandiya as a war zone.

Although this is up from the 42% who said they were in favor previous year, it is a steep decline from the 51% who said they were in favor when Obama came into office in 2009, and an even further drop from the peak of 58% favoring a Palestinian state in 2003.

At least 10 Palestinians injured by live fire in clashes with Israeli army in occupied West Bank refugee camp.

“The boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign is one of the most peaceful and non-violent forms of resistance of the Palestinian people to achieve freedom, justice and peace”. “There are incidents of shooting nearly every evening in Qalandiya, certainly when the [Israeli military] enters”.

AFP meanwhile puts the toll lower, saying that 178 Palestinians as well as 28 Israelis, as well as an American, a Sudanese and an Eritrean, have been killed.