Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), researcher Salem Thawaba maps how borders in the West Bank have shifted over time – and how walls, checkpoints and settlements shape Palestinians’ everyday lives, mobility and living space. During a visit to Lund University, he presented research visualising the long-term geographical changes in the region.
Mapping change over time
Salem Thawaba, Professor of Architecture and Urbanism at Birzeit University in Palestine, visited Lund at the end of April. He has studied the geography and borders of the State of Palestine for many years. The research he presented focused on an area in the West Bank.
Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as the main analytical tool, Thawaba compared maps over time to show how borders, demographics and living environments have changed. According to the research, settlements checkpoints, military areas, security zones and a physical wall are key drivers behind these shifting borders and changing conditions on the ground.
Everyday life is shaped by restrictions
Salem Thawaba’s research shows continually changing land use and the gradually shrinking space in which Palestinians are allowed to live. For Salem Thawaba , who lives in Ramallah, and for Palestinians across the area, these shifting realities shape everyday life.
“I used to travel from Ramallah to Jericho in 30 minutes. Now, with so many checkpoints and obstacles, it takes several hours.”
Travelling to Jericho is important for Palestinians in the West Bank because it is the main route out of the territory, close to the border with Jordan and the airport in Amman.
“Three million people live here and that is our only gateway out, but that checkpoint is often closed. That stops us from travelling for work, study, and everything else. This time, to get to Sweden, I had to add two extra days of travel.”
How borders shift on the ground
In his research, Salem Thawaba examines how borders in the West Bank keep shifting in practice under the Israeli occupation, and what drives those changes over time. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), he combines data on land divisions, crossings and terminals, the separation wall, Israeli settlements, bypass roads and land confiscation to analyse how these factors reshape space and everyday conditions. One of his main arguments is that the border shown on a map does not always match what people experience on the ground, because infrastructure, restrictions and access rules create new barriers in daily life.
By comparing map layers from different years, Thawaba shows how borders, crossing points and road networks have changed, and how this is linked to where new buildings appear and how towns grow. In two examples from his research in Hebron Governorate—Al Dahriya and Tarqumiya—he argues that these pressures can turn communities into de facto border zones, reshaping the direction and pattern of urban growth. The expansion of settlements and the systems that support them—roads, walls and checkpoints—not only redraw lines on maps; they also reduce the space Palestinians can live in and restrict their freedom of movement. “What looks like a line on a map becomes a daily reality of fragmentation and delay,” Salem Thawaba said, arguing that the cumulative effect of these changes is to make the occupation visible in how people move, build and live.
Restrictions – and academic freedom
Academic life is affected too. “For instance, we have to deliver lectures online because students can’t access our university. There are gates and borders that stop us from visiting our families. Just imagine the impact on services, healthcare and so on when villages are cut off.”
Movement is restricted, as are many aspects of life, for both Palestinian civilians and the Palestinian authorities, who lack control over many aspects of daily life in the State of Palestine. However, research is not restricted, and Birzeit University can establish its own research agenda.
“It's true that Israeli military personnel invade campus from time to time, but we still have academic freedom. That is protected in the constitution,” said Salem Thawaba.
Why maps matter
This brings us to the question of why maps matter when communicating research. Of course, communicating research like Salem Thawaba’s through maps is not the only approach. News, books, podcasts and films offer many perspectives on the Israel–Palestine issue. However, using geography and maps, as both Salem Thawaba and Lina Eklund do, can be especially effective.
“Geographical data are often perceived as more objective, which is not always true. There is a book called ‘How to Lie with Maps’,” Lina Eklund at MGeo pointed out.
“You shouldn't assume that you can believe everything simply because it appears on a map. But for us geographers, Geographic Information Systems are important tools for identifying and explaining change over time.”