GPS navigation systems have become increasingly popular, but they aren’t perfect. They can lead drivers to potentially deadly mistakes. In Israel, an unnamed American tourist using a GPS unit recently found himself in the Qalandiyah refugee camp, west of Ramallah, where he was stoned by an angry mob. According to Haaretz:
An Israeli inquiry found that the man was on his way to a wedding at Kibbutz Maaleh Hahamisha, but made a wrong turn into Area A territory, which is under full Palestinian control. After entering Qalandiyah he stopped at an intersection, at which point Palestinians approached and threw rocks at his car. Palestinians reportedly tried to force the man from his car. Word quickly reached the Palestinian police, who gained control of the crowd and protected the tourist.
Army sources said Wednesday that since the beginning of this year there have been several dozen cases of Israeli civilians mistakenly entering Area A, because of GPS navigational errors, and despite clear signs at the entrance to Palestinian towns warning Israelis not to enter. (emphasis added)
In December, ynetnews.com reported on a similar incident involving Amir Ochana, an Israeli man who also relied on his GPS unit:
I ended up in the center of Ramallah, stuck in traffic and surrounded by Arabs,” he says. “I still didn’t realize where I was because I relied on my GPS.”[An] Arab merchant then entered Ochana’s vehicle through the window, punched him in the testicles and stole his cellular phone. “He began to yell ‘a Jew, a Jew’ and other Arabs soon approached me. They stole my GPS and my other cellular phone,“ said Ochana.
This mugging was soon the least of Ochana’s problems, as a lynching lmost ensued afterwards. “An entire mob approached me and began to throw rocks at my car….they broke both the front and back windows….I began to cry and ask ‘why me?’” Ochana recalled.
Mr. Ochana’s car (Photo: Amir Ochana):
