An American tourist was lightly injured by rocks hurled at him when he accidentally drove into the Qalandiyah refugee camp, west of Ramallah, Wednesday afternoon.
The man was rescued by Palestinian policemen, and transferred shortly thereafter to the custody of Israeli security forces, who questioned him and treated his injuries.
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.
