Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), יום ב’ 25.8.08, בוקר
Translation: Suzanne O.
The routine blinds one because it makes you disregard how harsh the place is and you begin to perceive it as normal…
The Beit Furiq drivers are happy this morning due to the expected release of 199 prisoners as a gesture towards Abu Mazen.
Za'atra Junction
7:15 a.m.
There are 21 cars in the queue going towards two checkpoints from the direction of Nablus. There is no queue from the west.
At the entrance to Beita
Two Border Police cars have stopped a bus on the shoulder of the road and are inspecting documents of passengers who have been taken off the bus. Have they not already been inspected at Huwwara? Will they not be stopped again at Za'atra?
Huwwara village
7:30 a.m.
Pupils in school uniform are going to schools which have started their new term this week. There are no pavements or road safety patrols, only dirt paths indicate the curb side. As usual, drivers drive too fast, endangering the pupils.
After Itamar
On the way to Beit Furiq a military jeep surveys the road.
Beit Furiq
7:40 a.m
Neither people nor cars are experiencing hold ups. There are no queues. We are pushed to the line indicated to us.
At the car park café: somewhere to wake up with a coffee and the chatter of the Beit Furiq drivers and to get a sense of the atmosphere. It is an exciting day. 199 prisoners will be released by Israel as a gesture to Abu Mazen, one of them has been in prison for 31 years! People are leaving Nablus via Huwwara to welcome them at Beitonia or Ramallah, where Abu Mazen will receive them. They will get to Huwwara roadblock at midday. There is joy in the drivers' eyes. There will be crowds waiting there. Interestingly I did not hear about it on the news nor see any headlines about it in the newspapers this morning. But this morning there is happiness at the café. The methods of the media are interesting…
Osama asks about the situation in the area and asks about peace. For the past six years he has been trying every month to obtain a magnetic card to enable him to work legally in Israel. He wastes two days a month and is sent back and forth… meanwhile he manages here and there to get in under the guise of a merchant, but actually he works illegally in the building trade. How can we make a living? Here, look at this paper. I buy more stamps and still more stamps but still don't get a magnetic card. What does getting a card depend on? Just the mood of the soldier at the DCO. It's a matter of luck…
In his estimation 30% of the men he knows work illegally in Israel. Only 3% get a work permit.
Huwwara roadblock
8:45 a.m.
It takes about 20 minutes to get across. All of the apparatus of the roadblock is functioning today: two lanes are open, the x-ray machine, the dog handler and her frightening dog search the cars leaving, the men are asked to remove belts. Today the cell is empty. A., the commander, does not push us but comes over to talk to us. He is measured, relaxed and believes in his task. The DCO representative, T., compliments him. He is aware of the expected release of prisoners. He points out the bus just exiting from Nablus on the way to their reception. Each passenger is wearing a tee shirt printed with the image of a prisoner (apparently from the family) and a peaked cap for the event. A., hopes that they won't come back one at a time but en masse.
The unhumanitarian queue stalls because ‘the female soldier is asleep' according to those crossing, but actually she is feeling unwell, is moved and the queue moves on unhindered. Everyone complains that in the afternoon and evening the queues are long and slow. This information is confirmed by A., the commander; he explains that it is in his interest too to keep the queues short because then it is easier to catch suspects.
Huwwara village
10:05 a.m.
We collect Said for a visit to his 14 year old son who is in ‘Reoot' hospital in Yad Eliahu. He is in a vegetative state and showing no signs of progress. His son was run over by a settler at the side of the road in Huwwara village. The settler was driving too fast and injured him critically twice. That was a year and two months ago.
As noted above, all the Huwwara pupils continue to be in danger of their lives.
Za'atra
10:10 a.m.
There are 10 cars from the direction of Nablus. The traffic flows.
Beit Furik checkpoint
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One of the three internal checkpoints that closed on the city of Nablus - Beit Furik to the east, Hawara to the south, Beit Iba to the west. The checkpoint is located at the junction of Roads 557 (an apartheid road that was forbidden for Palestinians), leading to the Itamar and Alon Morea settlements and Road 5487. The checkpoint was established in 2001 for pedestrians and vehicles; The opening hours were short and the transition was slow and very problematic.Allegedly, the checkpoint is intended to monitor the movement to and from Nablus of the residents of Beit Furik and Beit Dajan, being the only opening outside their villages. Since May 2009 the checkpoint is open 24 hours a day, the military presence is limited, vehicles can pass through it without inspections, except for random inspections. (Updated April 2010)
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Huwwara
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The Huwwara checkpoint is an internal checkpoint south of the city of Nablus, at the intersection of Roads 60 and 5077 (between the settlements of Bracha and Itamar). This checkpoint was one of the four permanent checkpoints that closed on Nablus (Beit Furik and Awarta checkpoints to the east and the Beit Iba checkpoint to the west). It was a pedestrian-only barrier. As MachsomWatch volunteers, we watched therre since 2001 two shifts a day - morning and noon, the thousands of Palestinians leaving Nablus and waiting for hours in queues to reach anywhere else in the West Bank, from the other side of the checkpoint the destination could only be reached by public transport. In early June 2009, as part of the easing of Palestinian traffic in the West Bank, the checkpoint was opened to vehicular traffic. The passage was free, with occasional military presence in the guard tower. Also, there were vehicle inspections from time to time. Since the massacre on 7.10.2023, the checkpoint has been closed to Palestinians.
On February 26, 2023, about 400 settlers attacked the town's residents for 5 hours and set fire to property, such as houses and cars. Disturbances occurred in response to a shooting of two Jewish residents of Har Bracha by a Palestinian Terrorist. The soldiers stationed in the town did not prevent the arson and rescued Palestinian families from their homes only after they were set on fire. No one was punished and Finance Minister Smotrich stated that "the State of Israel should wipe out Hawara." Left and center organizations organized solidarity demonstrations and support actions for the residents of Hawara.Hawara continued to be in the headlines in all the months that followed: more pogroms by the settlers, attacks by Palestinians and a massive presence of the army in the town. It amounted to a de facto curfew of commerce and life in the center of the city. On October 5, 2023, MK Zvi established a Sukkah in the center of Hawara and hundreds of settlers backed the army blocked the main road and held prayers in the heart of the town all night and the next day. On Saturday, October 7, 23 The "Swords of Iron" war began with an attack by Hamas on settlements surrounding Gaza in the face of a poor presence of the IDF. Much criticism has been made of the withdrawal of military forces from the area surrounding Gaza and their placement in the West Bank, and in the Hawara and Samaria region in particular, as a shield for the settlers who were taking over and rioting.
On November 12, 2023, the first section of the Hawara bypass road intended for Israeli traffic only was opened. In this way, the settlers can bypass the road that goes through the center of Hawara, which is the main artery for traffic from the Nablus area to Ramallah and the south of the West Bank. For the construction of the road, the Civil Administration expropriated 406 dunams of private land belonging to Palestinians from the nearby villages. The settlers are not satisfied with this at the moment, and demand to also travel through Hawara itself in order to demonstrate presence and control.(updated November 2023)
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Shoshi AnbarMay-18-2025Huwara: The old houses in Area C
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Za'tara (Tapuah)
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Za'tara (Tapuah) Za'tara is an internal checkpoint in the heart of the West Bank, at the intersection of Road 60 and Road 505 (Trans-Samaria), east of the Tapuah settlement. This checkpoint is the "border" marked by the IDF between the north and south of the West Bank, in accordance with the policy of separation between the two parts of the West Bank that has been in place since December 2005. At the Za'tara checkpoint, there are separate routes for Israelis and Palestinians. In the route for Israelis, there are no inspections and the route for Palestinians inspects. The queue lengthens and shortens suits. The checkpoint is open 24 hours a day. The checkpoint is partially staffed and the people who pass through it are checked at random.
Shoshi AnbarSep-27-2023Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
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