Driving through the West Bank can be confusing and complicated. The West Bank is divided up in three different administrative areas: Area A, B and C. In some areas Israelis are not allowed, while in other areas Palestinians cannot enter. Some roads are only for the use of Israelis, some roads only for Palestinians and there are many Israeli military checkpoints in the area.
Area A, B, and C refer to specific divisions of administrative and security control in the West Bank:
- Area A is under full control of the Palestinian Authority.
- Area B is under Palestinian civil control and Israeli security control.
- Area C is under full Israeli civil and security control.
You can see an interactive map of these Areas on the website of B’Tselem (The Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories).
Whether or not you can travel through Israel, military checkpoints or enter Israeli settlements, also depends on what ID and nationality you have. Israeli citizens, settlers and Palestinians from East Jerusalem have blue IDs and cars with yellow license plates. People with a blue ID can enter Israel. Palestinian citizens have a green ID and white with green license plates, they need a permit to enter Israel. To make things more complicated, some Palestinians with an Israeli Blue ID and cars with yellow license plates live in the West Bank (on the Palestinian side of the wall). Because of all these factors, when driving through the West Bank, you must always think beforehand whether you can pass on the roads that Google Maps or Waze (a map application that is used locally) advise you. The shortest roads might lead through a checkpoint that you cannot pass. The directions might take you through areas that you might not be allowed to enter.
Footage for this video was filmed in spring 2023. Since the start of the Israel/Hamas war, Israel has closed most checkpoints, and it is often not safe to travel around in the West Bank. Palestinians with permits to enter Israel, are now not allowed to enter Israel anymore. Roads between major cities are closed.
