After October 2023, checkpoint delays in Nablus surged to unprecedented levels, significantly affecting commuters. Individuals navigating through Nablus faced an average wait time of nearly one hour and fifty minutes at checkpoints, far exceeding delays reported elsewhere in the West Bank. Ali Haj Ali, a long-time employee at Sama Pharmaceuticals—situated east of Nablus—oversees the maintenance of production lines after more than a decade of service. Now at 37, he has resigned himself to the fact that after his 4:30 pm shift, reaching home just 16 kilometers away is often an impossibility until after 8:00 pm.
In extreme circumstances, Ali has opted to sleep at the factory rather than face the frustrations of lengthy commutes. Sama Pharmaceuticals outfitted two offices with beds and mattresses during the COVID-19 pandemic for workers unable to make it home. Ali expressed concern about the time away from his family: “My three kids, my wife, my mother, my father, I’d barely see them. And forget about seeing friends.” For Ali, this job represents the best opportunity he can find, and he persists despite these challenges.
Recently, Ali and his colleague, Ohood Khatatbeh, found themselves discussing what they term the “Nablus checkpoint crisis,” a situation that continues to worsen into 2024 and 2025. Ali recounted experiences of reaching checkpoints only to be stalled for hours, ultimately making the decision to return home without getting through. He likened navigating these checkpoints to a game of chance, stating, “Nothing is guaranteed, that’s just how it is here. It’s like a lottery.”
Ohood, who manages quality assurance at the factory and is also a mother of three, lives in Beit Furik, a town just southeast of Nablus. The town features a single entry point which dictates her entire daily schedule. To navigate the restrictions at the Beit Furik gate, the community has developed informal protocols for transportation: for every three private vehicles, one shared taxi is permitted through. However, the flow of traffic remains unreliable, often disrupted by shifts among the soldiers monitoring the gate.
When conditions are favorable, the trip home could take around 15 minutes. Yet in recent years, Ohood has experienced daily commutes exceeding five hours. An alarming 10-hour wait on one occasion was particularly poignant when she arrived at the gate just as her son was finishing a final exam in Nablus in 2024. Consequently, mother and son spent the night in line at the checkpoint until 3 am the next morning, a stark contrast to the experience of employees who face no such barriers.
The impact of these checkpoints extends into the operational decisions of businesses like Sama Pharmaceuticals. According to Ohood, the company has begun to decline applications from highly qualified candidates based solely on the checkpoints they would encounter to reach work. Job postings now explicitly require candidates to reside in Nablus, reflecting broader trends where around half of surveyed individuals reported that these travel restrictions have negatively influenced employment opportunities.
In late 2025, personal emergencies exacerbated by the checkpoint conditions came to light when Ohood’s newborn son, Aws, developed jaundice. Upon returning home from a nearby hospital, they reached the Beit Furik gate only to encounter a soldier preparing to close it. As they implored to cross, the soldier’s response escalated to a threatening stance. Ohood recounted how they were forced to retreat, waiting an additional hour and a half until the gate reopened, all while their baby continued to cry.
This evolving situation illustrates how established protocols and personal lives are being reshaped by the operational realities at checkpoints within the West Bank. The ramifications on business operations, workforce availability, and everyday life underscore a growing crisis. For organizations navigating these complexities, understanding the environment and its impact on personnel and operational capacity is vital, signaling the importance of adapting strategies that accommodate these challenges.