Homegrown digital road maps turn into lifelines for West Bank’s Palestinians
6 hours ago
- #Navigation Apps
- #West Bank
- #Israeli Occupation
- Palestinians in the West Bank face severe movement restrictions due to Israeli checkpoints and barriers.
- Homegrown mapping apps like Doroob Navigator and Azmeh help Palestinians navigate obstacles, with Azmeh tracking over 800 checkpoints.
- Commute times have drastically increased, with some trips taking over three hours due to road closures.
- Azmeh was paused after threats from the Israeli military but resumed in March 2023, now with 70,000 users.
- Exclusive roads for Israeli citizens restrict Palestinian movement, with unauthorized entry risking arrest or violence.
- Drivers use WhatsApp groups and apps like Waze cautiously, as standard navigation tools often misrepresent Palestinian areas.
- Doroob Navigator, created by a Palestinian entrepreneur, uses local place names to aid navigation.
- Palestinian navigation apps focus on avoiding risks rather than finding the fastest route, relying on community updates.
- OpenStreetMap allows Palestinians to document their geography accurately, countering misrepresentation on mainstream platforms.
- Palestinian tech solutions echo historical community support systems from past uprisings.
- Digital rights groups advocate for better representation of Palestine on global platforms like Google Maps.
- Technical challenges like patchy 3G and GPS jamming disrupt navigation and emergency services.
- Attacks by Israeli settlers have increased, prompting drivers to travel in groups for safety.