Full Breakdown
Basma FM Turns West Bank Traffic Updates into Lifesaving Checkpoint Alerts
By Drooid · · How we work
Real-Time Road Information for Palestinians
Since its launch, the Basma FM radio station—based in Rawabi near Ramallah—has shifted from standard traffic reports to continuous updates on Israeli checkpoints, road closures and settler attacks. The station airs three traffic bulletins per hour, each compiled by a seven-person news and traffic team that verifies information with local sources before broadcasting.
Escalating Movement Restrictions
Palestinian movement in the occupied West Bank has become increasingly hazardous. Israeli soldiers frequently block or reopen checkpoints at will, and settlers attack Palestinian vehicles on public roads. A young Palestinian woman, speaking on condition of anonymity, described being assaulted near a Hebron checkpoint and later threatened with a rifle. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) documented 925 barriers across the West Bank as of December 2025, a 43 percent increase over the 20-year average of 647 barriers.
Data on Checkpoints and Road Conditions
During a typical Basma FM bulletin, updates are given for dozens of checkpoints. On a relatively calm day, the station listed 61 checkpoints in the West Bank, noting that only 12 were closed or experiencing long queues. The station’s staff stress that conditions can reverse within minutes, with checkpoints opening or closing “each second.”
Official Perspective from Basma FM
Fatima Barqawi, Basma FM’s news and traffic director, explains the station’s pivot: the original aim was to provide entertainment and cultural news for young listeners, but the outbreak of the Gaza war forced a rapid reorientation toward safety information. She notes that the team must constantly adapt to “closed checkpoint” and “reopened” statuses that change “each second.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “Our idea was to target young people. We wanted to offer entertainment and culture news. But five days later, we realised we couldn’t,” — Fatima Barqawi, Basma FM’s news and traffic director
- “We thought we could tell parents picking up their children from school to know where there was traffic, but after the war on Gaza started, we had to shift focus,” — Fatima Barqawi, Basma FM’s news and traffic director
- “Things change each second. We could say there’s a closed checkpoint and Israeli soldiers decide to reopen it. Or vice versa,” — Fatima Barqawi, Basma FM’s news and traffic director
These statements underscore Basma FM’s transformation from a conventional traffic service into a critical source of real-time safety information for Palestinians navigating an increasingly restricted and dangerous road network.