W.R., in her twenties and the mother of an infant, described how the extreme travel restrictions in the West Bank after 7 October disrupted her family's life and forced them to move to Ramallah
I got married in 2021 and moved into a rented apartment in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah with my husband. I commuted to work at a bank in the city of Ramallah from there.
I moved into a rented apartment in the village of Khirbet Abu Falah with my husband. I commuted to work at a bank in the city of Ramallah from there. Until 7 October 2023 [...] the drive took 25-30 minutes, depending on traffic and congestion along the way. [...] after 7 October 2023, the occupation authorities closed the Beit El checkpoint, and we were forced to get off Route 60 at ‘Ein Siniya, then go via Dura al-Qare’ and Jalazun, and from there to Ramallah. The drive took at least 45-50 minutes.
Until 7 October 2023, my husband and I would set out around 7:00-7:10 A.M. We drove along a road that goes through the town of Turmusaya to Route 60, up to the Beit El (DCO) checkpoint, and from there to Ramallah. The drive took 25-30 minutes, depending on traffic and congestion along the way. We took the same route back, usually without any problems.
But after 7 October 2023, the occupation authorities closed the Beit El (DCO) checkpoint, and we were forced to get off Route 60 at ‘Ein Siniya, then go via Dura al-Qare’ and Jalazun, and from there to Ramallah. The drive took at least 45-50 minutes, and sometimes more due to traffic. We had to set out at 6:30-6:45 A.M. to get to work on time. We took the same route back, and then the traffic was even worse. This went on until the day the occupation authorities installed an iron gate at the entrance to Turmusaya, which leads to Route 60 [in 2024].
This went on until the day the occupation authorities installed an iron gate at the entrance to Turmusaya, which leads to Route 60 [in 2024]. After the gate was installed, the occupation authorities closed it several times for days in a row, and we had no choice but to take the roads that run between villages from Khirbet Abu Falah to al-Mazra’ah a-Sharqiyah, and then via Silwad, Yabrud, ‘Ein Siniya, Dura al-Qare’ and Jalazun all the way to Ramallah. This took 60-75 minutes.
After the gate was installed, the occupation authorities closed it several times for days in a row, and we had no choice but to take the roads that run between villages from Khirbet Abu Falah to al-Mazra’ah a-Sharqiyah, and then via Silwad, Yabrud, ‘Ein Siniya, Dura al-Qare’ and Jalazun all the way to Ramallah. This took 60-75 minutes. Sometimes, even when the gate in Turmusaya was open, the military set up a checkpoint there and held strict vehicle inspections, so we preferred to take the long way rather than be delayed there.
The restrictions on movement didn’t end with that. Sometimes, the gate at the entrance to Turmusaya was closed, or there was a military checkpoint there, and we then had to drive via Abu Falah, al-Mazra’ah a-Sharqiyah, Silwad, Yabrud, ‘Ein Siniya, Dura al-Qare’ and Jalazun all the way to Ramallah. But the real trouble was when we got to Silwad and found a long line at the checkpoint that the occupation army set up at the entrance to the town, on the road that connects it to Yabrud. This forced us to bypass Silwad as well and drive along the following route: from Khirbet Abu Falah to al-Mazra’ah a-Sharqiyah, then to Deir Jarir, a-Taybah, Rammun, Deir Dobwan, Beitin, Dura al-Qare’ and Jalazun until we reached Ramallah. That took 75-90 minutes. Even then, there were sometimes obstacles, because there were days when we learned on social media, before leaving home, that the military set up a checkpoint on the road connecting the town of Deir Dobwan to the village of Beitin. When that happened, we had to drive via al-Mazra’ah a-Sharqiyah, Deir Jarir, a-Taybah and then to Route 458 [Allon Road] and from there to Jaba’, a-Ram, Qalandiya, Kafr ‘Aqab, al-Birah and then to Ramallah. This was the longest route we had to take, almost two hours to Ramallah. Often, the occupation authorities also closed the gate between the town of a-Taybah and Route 458, or set up a military checkpoint there and held meticulous inspections that delayed traffic.
The difficulties this caused us went far beyond the long drive. After I got several verbal and written warnings at work for being late, we had to start leaving home at 6:20 A.M., which meant convincing the daycare staff to take our son before opening time, and that involved an extra fee. Add to that the stress caused by waiting in lines at checkpoints on the way to work and back.
About six months ago, when we realized there was no solution and no route that would get us out of this trouble, we started looking for an alternative. My husband and I agreed the best solution was to look for an apartment in Ramallah.
About six months ago, when we realized there was no solution and no route that would get us out of this trouble, we started looking for an alternative. My husband and I agreed the best solution was to look for an apartment in Ramallah. My husband spent six months looking for a place, but rental prices have sky-rocketed, which made it very hard to find something reasonable. Still, about 20 days ago, we found an apartment more or less suited to our financial means, and two weeks ago we moved in. Although the rent is a significant financial burden for us, we feel some relief, because our suffering for almost two years due to the extreme restrictions on movement is over.
- Testimony given to B’Tselem field researcher Mohammad Romaneh on 16 February 2026