A so-called “In-Between Checkpoints” marathon was staged in the northern occupied West Bank province of Nablus on Friday in protest at the Israeli checkpoints and cordons enforced around Palestinian towns and villages.
Speaking with PIC Director of Nablus Festival of Culture and Arts Hakim Sabah said the event comes as part of intents to sound the alarm over the fallouts of the Israeli roadblocks and cordons imposed around the occupied West Bank in an attempt to sever the ties between Palestinian communities and crack down on civilians.
Sabah said the marathon kicked off from Kusin checkpoint formerly pitched in western Nablus on way to Beit Furik checkpoint to the east. Dozens of international joggers joined the 11-kilometer competition. Pro-Palestine runners from France were also in attendance.
“Nablus alone has been permanently cordoned off by four military checkpoints along with a number of flying and makeshift roadblocks blocking Palestinians’ free movement inside and out and tearing West Bank towns and villages from limb to limb” said Sabah. “The checkpoints have turned the West Bank into an open-air prison.”
Sabah added that the event aims to shed light on the socio-economic fallouts of the Israeli blockade and checkpoints and to allow visitors to get an authentic and live picture of the repercussions of the Israeli crackdowns in the area.
Several Palestinian anti-occupation youth and protesters were executed and hundreds kidnapped at such Israeli checkpoints as Zaatara and Hawara in southern Nablus and Beit Furik to the east.
