I cycled over 300km alone through the occupied West Bank. This journey took me through Israeli checkpoints, military zones, and illegal Israeli settlements, as I explored what life is like under occupation for millions of Palestinians.
This is the first part of my cycle touring documentary series through Palestine, focusing on the northern West Bank. Along the way, I passed through fortified settler roads, restricted military areas, and Palestinian towns impacted by decades of Israeli military control, land seizures, and systemic displacement. I crossed through the fragmented zones of the West Bank — Areas A, B, and C — established under the Oslo Accords. Area C, which makes up over 60% of the territory, is under full Israeli military and civil control and remains the primary site of rapid settlement expansion. Area B is under joint Israeli-Palestinian control, while Area A is administered solely by the Palestinian Authority. It was only in Area A that I was able to speak openly with Palestinians about life under Israeli occupation — including military raids, surveillance, checkpoints, and the daily struggle for movement, water, and rights.
I also gained rare access inside an Israeli settlement, where right-wing Zionist settlers see themselves as a frontline defense against Palestinians and the surrounding Arab countries. These settlements — illegal under international law — continue to grow despite global condemnation. Human rights organizations increasingly describe the system in place across the West Bank as apartheid, citing unequal legal systems, restrictions on movement, and expanding annexation.
