Huwwara, Awarta and Beit Furiq
Huwwara, Awarta and Beit Furiq 22 June 2006 Watchers: Esti V., and Nava A. (reporting)There are the usual bans on movement – residents of Nablus and the surrounding villages between the ages of 18 – 25 are not permitted to cross southwards, the roadblock commanders are efficient and the light traffic flows quickly and considerately.There is an episode where some suspected explosive material stops the roadblock for a short time and holds up a group of Palestinians for a considerable number of hours.On the roads leading to Za’atra there are no obstacles and no Hammer jeeps on the way.Za’atra Junction6:30 a.m. As opposed to previous weeks the roadblock commander, A., answers our questions patiently.They have finally cancelled the irritating procedure whereby drivers had to stop at a distance from the checkpoint and get out to go over and give their papers in to be checked. According to A., in spite of the danger to security, he prefers the traffic to flow rather than the build up of never ending jams. And, indeed, we counted just four cars in the queue. Apart from soldiers from the Golani unit only ‘border police’ were at the roadblock, no military police.At the exit from Huwwara the new roadblock is not staffed but on the way to Yitzhar a snap roadblock has been put down with a number of cars lined up behind it.Huwwara roadblock6:40 a.m.The fruit market in the southern area is flourishing; opposite near the hitchhikers’ station there are widespread road works as if a roundabout or a parking lot is being prepared.At the roadblock itself the traffic is light. The roadblock commander, G., steers his soldiers from checkpoint to checkpoint. He opens the humanitarian gate when the old or women arrive. There are very few cars trying to enter Nablus and a short queue waiting to leave.7:20 a.m.A parallel checking lane for cars leaving is opened.The back-to-back roadblock at Awarta8:00 a.m. There is a new set of soldiers; the commander is K. For the first time they ask us for ID cards before allowing us to park on site. There is a long queue of 20 lorries trying to enter Nablus. K., explains that the soldiers are carrying out extremely thorough checks because of a ‘hot warning’. A dog handler is also on site. The busiest place is the coffee stand.Beit Furiq roadblock8:20 a.m.As usual the roadblock is tedious. The commander, H., says that the roadblock opened as usual at 5:00 a.m., although he has reservations about the fact that we asked him. The bored soldiers are actually happy to have a conversation with us which quickly runs into issues of principle in spite of the sergeant’s opposition.9:00 a.m.Back at Huwwara roadblock everything is quiet and it appears that we can pack up and go home. Meanwhile the DCO representative who refuses to talk to us arrives, I don’t know his name. The x-ray machine stands at the side and beside it a dog handler.9:20 a.m.A car with importers who want to go from Nablus to China, via the Allenby Bridge and Amman, arrives. All the passengers, including a very elderly woman, are asked to alight and to wait a distance away, with their backs to the car, until the x-ray and the sniffer dog finish. When we request it, they are allowed to sit down in the shade in the detainees’ area.9:30 a.m.The soldiers claim that the dog sniffed explosives and they call in the sappers from the brigade.9:55 a.m.The sappers arrive and close the roadblock. All the people in the queue are moved back in the direction of Nablus and the soldiers and we move southward.10:20The sappers allow the roadblock to be reopened but the passengers are still waiting for their documents. The roadblock commander explains to us that there is something wrong and a proper check must be carried out, and only then will they be released (or not). We part from the merchants and ask them to telephone us when they are released.10:30 a.m.The snap roadblock is still holding up cars arriving from the west, the roadblock on the main road is not staffed. At Za’atra there are only four cars waiting in the queue.3:00 p.m. We only now receive the information that the passengers have been released. They have given up the idea of flying and are returning to Nablus.
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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