Tremping is Hebrew for hitchhiking. And if you find yourself in the West Bank, you’ll likely see ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered along major roads at trempiadas, which function like bus stops, with their thumbs up and arms outstretched. (Public transportation in settlement areas is unreliable.)
As with hitchhiking anywhere, there are dangers to taking rides with strangers. In 2014 three teenage boys were killed after accepting a ride in their settlement. Israeli officials accused members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas with the murders, inflaming already high tensions.
Yet tremping remains popular, as photographer Geraldine Hope Ghelli documents—although some riders now take extra precautions, like riding only with people they recognize or using trempiadas only under the surveillance of Israeli soldiers. Others say they simply go with their instincts.
