On the radio and online, Palestinians keep up with Israel's West Bank roadblocks - War on Gaza
"Deir Sharaf: traffic, Qalandia: open, Container: closed," Eriqat reads out from drivers' live reports, enumerating checkpoints to let listeners know which of the West Bank's hundreds of checkpoints and gates are open, busy with traffic, or closed by the Israeli military.
"My mission is to help Palestinian citizens get home safely," she told AFP in the radio studio in the city of Rawabi between her thrice-hourly broadcasts.
"Covering traffic in the West Bank is completely different from covering traffic anywhere else in the world."
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has long been dotted with checkpoints, but obstacles to Palestinians' movement in the territory have proliferated since the 2023 start of the war in Gaza -- a separate territory.
In the West Bank, a territory roughly the size of the US state of Delaware, there are hundreds of new checkpoints and gates, but Israeli authorities do not provide updates about their status.
"The army might suddenly close a checkpoint, and the traffic jam would last an hour. Or they might just show up and then withdraw seconds later, and the checkpoint is cleared", Eriqat said.
The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said in early 2025, there were 849 obstacles restricting the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank, including checkpoints, road gates, earth walls, trenches and roadblocks.
'Not a regular jam'
To navigate, Palestinians often rely on minute-by-minute updates from drivers on WhatsApp and Telegram groups, some of which were created by Basma Radio to feed Eriqat's broadcasts.
"We turned to taxi drivers, truck drivers, private companies and even ordinary people," said Eriqat, to create the West Bank's only traffic report of its kind.
The updates were launched in October 2023 -- the same month the Gaza war broke out -- and are now broadcast by other Palestinian radio stations too.
A Telegram group run by Basma Radio now has some 16,000 members.
Fatima Barqawi, who runs news programmes at the station, said the team had created "contact networks with people on the roads", also receiving regular updates from Palestinians who live near checkpoints and can see the traffic from their window.
Beyond the restrictions imposed by the Israeli authorities, the traffic reports sometimes feature warnings about roads blocked by Israeli settlers, whose attacks against Palestinians have also risen throughout the war.
It is a constantly shifting roadscape, Eriqat said, complicating even what otherwise should have been a quick drive to work, home or to see family and friends.
"You might tell people the checkpoint is open now, but three minutes later, it's jammed again. And it's not a regular jam -- it could last six or seven hours," she said.
Settler attacks and soldiers' 'mood'
Maen, a 28-year-old video editor, used to tune in to Basma Radio to plan his weekly commute from Ramallah to his hometown of Bethlehem, but now prefers checking what other drivers have to say.
"I often call a friend who has Telegram while I'm on the road" and ask for updates from checkpoints, said Mazen, who asked to use his first name only for security reasons.
He has deleted Telegram from his own phone after hearing about Palestinians getting into trouble with soldiers at checkpoints over the use of the messaging app.
But in a sign of its popularity, one group in which drivers share their updates has 320,000 members -- more than one-tenth of the West Bank's population.
Rami, an NGO worker living in Ramallah who also declined to give his full name, said he listened to the radio traffic reports but mainly relied on Telegram groups.
Yet a safe journey is far from guaranteed.
Rami told AFP he recently had to stop on the way to his hometown of Nablus.
"I pulled over, checked the news and saw that 100 settlers had gathered at a settlement's road junction and started throwing stones at Palestinian cars", recognisable by their green license plates, he said.
And passing through a military checkpoint often "depends on the soldier's mood", said Eriqat.
"That's the difficult part."
Follow us on:
Short link:
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Syria to hold first parliamentary elections since Assad's fall in September - Region
Syria will hold parliamentary elections in September, the head of a body tasked with organizing the election process told state media Sunday. Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, chairman of the Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections, told state news agency SANA that elections will take place between Sept. 15 and 20. They will be the first to take place under the country's new authorities after the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December. One third of the 210 seats will the appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, with the rest to be elected. In a recent interview with the Erem News site, another member of the elections committee, Hassan al-Daghim, said an electoral college will be set up in each of Syria's provinces to vote for the elected seats. A temporary constitution signed by al-Sharaa in March called for a People's Committee to be set up to serve as an interim parliament until a permanent constitution is adopted and general elections held, a process that could take years. The announcement of impending elections comes at a time when the country is increasingly divided in its views of the new authorities in Damascus after sectarian violence broke out in the southern province of Sweida earlier this month. The fighting killed hundreds of people and threatened to unravel Syria's fragile postwar transition. The violent clashes, which broke out two weeks ago, were sparked by tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and fighters from the Druze religious minority. Syrian government forces intervened, ostensibly to end the fighting, but effectively sided with the clans. Some government fighters reportedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted houses. Israel intervened, launching airstrikes on government forces and on the Defense Ministry headquarters. Israel said it was acting to defend the Druze minority -- though many view this as a pretext to push Syrian government forces further from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in line with its demands to demilitarise southern Syria. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Hamas leader slams Israeli withdrawal from Doha talks, denounces ‘theatrical' aid airdrops - War on Gaza
Khalil El-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza, strongly criticised Israel on Sunday for withdrawing from ceasefire negotiations in Doha, accusing it of attempting to 'evade' its responsibilities while intensifying its war on the besieged Palestinian territory. El-Hayya described Israel's retreat from the Qatari capital as a 'clear indication' that it is 'not serious about reaching an agreement,' and is instead 'buying time to continue its war of extermination' against Palestinians in war-torn Strip. 'In the last round of negotiations, we made clear progress and reached near agreement on what the mediators presented to us, especially on the files of withdrawal, prisoners, and the entry of aid,' he said in a recorded statement addressed to the Palestinian people in Gaza. 'We received positive responses from the Zionist occupation via the mediators. But we were surprised when the occupation abruptly pulled out of the talks, along with US envoy Steve Wietkoff, in a blatant and transparent step aimed at wasting time and deepening the genocide of our people.' The Hamas official said Israel later sent remarks objecting to the agreed-upon mechanism for distributing humanitarian aid, 'seeking to undermine the role of UN and local institutions' and insisting on maintaining a system that has 'turned aid into death traps, killing and wounding thousands of our people.' The talks in Doha—mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States—were part of a broader push to reach a ceasefire deal and secure the release of Israelis detained in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian detainees. Previous rounds have faltered over key sticking points, including Israel's refusal to commit to a permanent ceasefire and its rejection of a full withdrawal from Gaza. El-Hayya confirmed that Hamas remains in contact with mediators but warned that meaningful talks cannot continue under the current conditions of siege, displacement, starvation and genocide. 'The only serious and genuine indication that negotiations are worthwhile is the lifting of the blockade and the prompt delivery of humanitarian aid to our people,' he said. He reiterated that the resistance group position remains anchored in four conditions: a permanent end to the war, a full Israeli withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of all displaced Palestinians to their homes, and a comprehensive plan for reconstruction. He also rejected recent foreign airdrops of humanitarian aid as 'farcical theatrics,' saying: 'We reject the farcical theatrics that are called airdrop operations for aid," he said. 'We reject the farcical theatrics called airdrop aid missions,' 'What is required is the permanent and unobstructed opening of land crossings, and aid delivery in accordance with international standards.' He also accused Israel of pushing to seize a large area of Rafah to create a buffer zone for displaced Palestinians, 'paving the way for the forced displacement of our people into Egypt or across the sea, in a clear plan aimed at liquidating our cause.' Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 hours ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Israel seeking to deport activists detained on Gaza-bound boat: NGO - War on Gaza
Israel is seeking to deport pro-Palestinian activists who were detained and brought to shore when their Gaza-bound boat was intercepted by the navy, a legal aid centre advising them said on Sunday. The 21 activists from 10 countries were taken into custody late Saturday when Israel intercepted the Handala in international waters. The aid boat set sail with the stated aim of breaching Israel's deadly humanitarian blockade of Gaza, now approaching its fifth month. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC), which organized the voyage, described the cargo as life-saving aid for Gaza's 2.4 million people, suffering under Israeli blockade imposed on 2 March. More than 100 aid organisations have already warned that "mass starvation" was spreading across the Palestinian territory amid health system collapse caused by Israel's blockade, with severe shortages of food, clean water, medicine and fuel. Following its interception, the Handala and its crew from the FFC were brought to the port of Ashdod in Israel, where, according to the legal rights centre Adalah, all but two -- a pair of dual US-Israeli nationals -- were being held under Israeli immigration law. The Handala's crew have said they would immediately begin a hunger strike if detained. The interception in international waters marked the third time this year Israeli forces have stopped Freedom Flotilla vessels attempting to break Israel's blockade by delivering aid to Gaza by sea. "Israel is handling the custody of the volunteers as though they had entered the country illegally -- even though they were forcibly taken from international waters and brought into Israel against their will," Adalah said in a statement after its lawyers were allowed to meet the detainees. "The authorities presented them with two options: either agree to so-called 'voluntary deportation', or remain in detention and appear before a tribunal, to have their continued detention pending deportation reviewed," the statement continued. According to Adalah, three detainees -- an Italian, an American and a French member of parliament, Gabrielle Cathala -- agreed to be deported and are expected to leave Israel in the coming hours. The US-Israeli nationals were interrogated by Israeli police and released, while 12 international activists -- including another left-wing French MP, Emma Fourreau -- refused to sign voluntary deportation orders and are still in Israeli custody pending legal hearings. The remaining four detainees, including a pair of Al Jazeera journalists, have retained private counsel. 'Peaceful' mission Adalah reiterated that the activists were engaged in a "peaceful civilian mission", and maintained that both their detention and the Israeli blockade of Gaza were illegal. The Israeli foreign ministry has said the navy stopped the Handala to prevent it from entering coastal waters off Gaza, noting after its intecerption that all the vessel's "passengers are safe". Just before midnight local time on Saturday, video streamed live from the Handala showed Israeli troops boarding the vessel. An online tracker showed the ship in international waters west of Gaza. The ship had been on course to try to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza and bring a small quantity of life-saving humanitarian aid to the territory's Palestinian residents. The Handala's crew had said before their capture in a post on X that they would go on hunger strike if the Israeli military intercepted the boat and detained its passengers. A previous boat sent by Freedom Flotilla, the Madleen, was also intercepted by the Israeli military in international waters on 9 June and towed to Ashdod. It carried 12 campaigners, including prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. The activists were eventually expelled by Israel. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
