Huwwara
Huwwara 16 May 2006 Watchers: Yael P., Nurit V., Rachel A. (reporting)The most remarkable fact this morning was the paucity of traffic to and from Nablus. We were unable to decide if it arose from specific policy (cessation of life??) or because the army activities in Nablus resulted in people staying home. Apart from the normal restrictions on crossing, it appears that the enforcement of orders is being tightened in the name of efficient organization. As R., the roadblock commander, explained to us the granting of permits is disorganised, lots of bodies give out permits, from now on only one body will grant them. And so, in the name of efficient organisation, buses were not permitted to enter Nablus and many people were turned back, even though they stated that they were allowed through every day. Certainly the IDF does not rest on its laurels at all, it unceasingly tries to modify and improve. The latest modifications: the document checkpoints have been abandoned and moved forward, closer to the physical checkpoints. Thus the system of turnstiles and the electronic crossing points, into which much financial investment has gone, has been rendered redundant. The soldiers and the roadblock commander made it clear to us that we are not permitted to stand near the new checkpoints; we are required to stay behind the invisible line outlined to us before the changes. As a result we find ourselves standing some 10 metres away from the inspection area, unable to follow what is happening. Is it possible that the whole change has been instituted in order to ensure that what happens is far from the eyes of the watchers? It is difficult to believe. We are not given that much importance. There is no doubt that the change is the result of fertile and creative consideration in the name of efficient organisation and in the name of security.It is just a pity that whoever is so concerned with standardisation of the system and invests in modifications and improvements, every day anew, is unaware that the narrow road passing through the roadblock, which is the only way through to Nablus for cars, is full of potholes. But what’s the point for the IDF to maintain this road? After all just ambulances and ordinary Palestinians’ cars use it.>br>And so, over and above the dehumanisation and arbitrariness at the roadblock, more and more it becomes the emblem of everything that is absurd and evil but also ridiculous in the occupation. (Even the IDF flag flying on high – for the patriots to see – is torn, tattered and dirty…As we have already noted the stream of pedestrians crossing was very light, and the queues were not long. The queue for cars waiting to leave Nablus was, in comparison, very long and none of the many soldiers wandering around appeared to hurry the inspections up.At Tapuach Junction in the morning there were some 30 cars but, when we returned, there at about 11:00 a.m., there were only a few cars.
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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