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Gangnam Style Gets Israeli Soldiers in Big Trouble
"Gangnam Style" strikes again.
The infectious but eventually annoying hit song, "Gangnam Style" by South Korean rapper Psy has landed a bunch of Israeli soldiers in hot water after a video of them dancing to it surfaced.
The uproar isn't so much about them nailing the silly dance moves, but more about the fact that they were dancing with a large of Palestinians just day's after peace talks between Israel and Palestine were halted. (Because, you know, dancing is contradictory to making peace?)
The video shows the soldiers, armed and with military gear, in a club in Hebron partying with Palestinians, and being hoisted up on people's shoulders and grabbing hands. The soldiers are being cheered on by the crowd, who were reportedly there to celebrate a wedding.
The Israeli army is apparently not a huge fan of dance diplomacy and has suspended the soldiers, who are members of an elite group called the Givati Brigade. According to reports from the Guardian, the army is taking the video very seriously and says that the soldiers put themselves in unnecessary danger.
Israel's Channel 2 TV says the club where the video was shot is a known hangout for Hamas supporters.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Palestine threatened to put a halt to an upcoming round of peace talks after Israeli forces raided a West Bank Settlement, resulting in the death of three Palestinians.
The United States denied a cancellation of peace talks, which Secretary of State John Kerry helped to initiate after a five year stalemate. Peace talks reportedly continued after the clashes, but there are no clear reports of what was discussed.
The West Bank raid is the latest in a series of occurrences that have threatened the latest attempt at negotiations. Earlier in August, Israel followed up the announcement that they would concede to releasing 26 Palestinian prisoners with news that they would ramp up building on contested territory.