Parents and three children, residents of Modi’in Illit, was traveling on Sunday, Lag B’Omer, in their vehicle from Jerusalem, using Waze to navigate, ending up in a PA (Palestinian Authority) village near Birzeit in Ramallah.
Needless to say, the family was frightened when they realized what occurred as they were in an area designated by Oslo as “B”, which means total PA civil control and Israeli security control. They quickly phoned Israel Police for assistance.
Police immediately contacted IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), which in turn contacted PA police. They found the family and provided an escort out of the area without incident, arriving at a checkpoint near Beit El in the Binyamin Regional Council of the Shomron. From there, they continued their trip home to Modi’in Illit.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
I’m betting they changed the Waze default settings – and that’s why they were led there.
In the WAZE settings under Navigation, you can specifically direct the app to Avoid High Risk Areas – Avoid high risk areas and the A, B territories prohibited by law for entry by Israelis. If that setting is turned on WAZE will not take you into A and B areas. As that is the default setting in Israel, someone must have changed it. If you don’t know how to use WAZE you should learn!
What difference what type of family needs help, yet you davka need to specify Haredi? Besides Haredim don’t approve of internet / mobile data and smartphones…. I wonder if this family also participates in the hateful demonstrations against army, but yet runs to them for help in stressful times??? Can’t have it both ways!