‘Anabta, Beit Furik, Deir Sharaf, Eliyahu Crossing, Huwwara, Qalqiliya, Za’tara (Tapuah), Tue 30.6.09, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
Today we went on a tour to follow up the article by Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, who reported in Ha’aretz last week (24.6.09) that “As a result of international pressure: Israel has removed dozens of checkpoints on the West Bank.” We wanted to verify the report, and in particular to understand what the phrase “random inspections” – that appears in the article with reference to a number of checkpoints – actually means. As we learned, the adjective “random” is very deceptive (every fifth vehicle, every thirtieth, every hundredth? Who’s inspected and who isn’t?)
The article reports that “the checkpoints around the city of Nablus, which had once been completely closed off, have all been removed,” a claim that is groundless. The checkpoints are definitely operating, although not as before. Another thing – regarding the claim, which already appears in the headline, that Israel has “removed” checkpoints. It’s important to distinguish between a checkpoint that has been removed, and one that isn’t manned and operating. At the Burin junction, for example, there was until half a year ago a unannounced checkpoint (that is, a checkpoint that doesn’t operate every day), but even though it isn’t manned and traffic flows freely through the junction, the concrete barriers and soldiers’ positions are still there, and it would take only a minute to make them operative again. The same is true at the Jit junction; the concrete barriers are still located on both sides of the junction even though the checkpoint hasn’t been manned for a long time.
It’s clear that there has been a great change in the Nablus, Tulkarm and Qalqilya checkpoints during recent months. But the main impression we received today was of the ease with which it would be possible to change the policies. Palestinians with whom we spoke today also mentioned this.
14:50 Eliyahu gate – we left for Palestine.
14:55 Qalqilya. Traffic flows without delays, the positions in the middle of the road are empty, abandoned on the road. Soldiers are in position by the roadside, a weapon pointing toward the road (photo attached).
15:25 The article reports that the Beit Iba checkpoint has been removed, and in fact it isn’t operating today. The article doesn’t mention the Deir Sharaf checkpoint down the road, one kilometer to the south, which began operating immediately after the Beit Iba checkpoint ceased inspecting traffic. The checkpoint is manned by three soldiers, and a fourth is in the observation tower. Traffic going through is inspected at random. We asked the checkpoint commander what “random” means. “What looks suspicious to me,” he answers. “What’s ‘suspicious’?”, we asked. “I don’t know, how it looks, how it seems to me,” he replied.
(We intended to go up to the Shavei Shomron checkpoint where, according to the article, no inspections at all are conducted. The soldiers insisted that Israeli vehicles aren’t allowed to proceed past the Deir Sharaf checkpoint (Not true. It isn’t Area A). Since we wanted to see many checkpoints today, and since we knew from previous observations that no inspections have been conducted at Shavei Shomron for some time now – we gave up.)
15:50 Anabta (which the article refers to as the “Einav checkpoint”)
According to the article, the checkpoint has been opened, the soldiers there don’t inspect Palestinian cars and only check those with Israeli plates in order to prevent Israelis from entering the city. In practice, Ro’i, the checkpoint commander, told us, the Palestinian cars are inspected “selectively.” Again we asked what that means. Ro’i replied that he inspects “whatever looks suspicious.” We asked what kind of things look suspicious. “Appearance. Like you didn’t look to me particularly appealing at first” (He meant me. When Ro’i tried to move me away from an area of the checkpoint, I insisted that the checkpoint is a public space and he can’t restrict my movement there). We also asked what “selectively” means. “Do you check ever tenth car? Every thirtieth? Is there any standard policy?” “There’s no standard policy, it’s whatever I decide,” Ro’i replied. We also couldn’t help noticing that the selective inspections are carried out only for cars entering Tulkarm. At the exit – and toward Israel – traffic flowed without delays.
16:10 The access road to Sara is blocked. A photo is attached.
16:25 Awarta (the checkpoint isn’t mentioned in the article). One truck leaving Nablus is being inspected. A private car entering the city is being inspected.
16:35 Beit Furik. The article reports that the checkpoint was removed. In practice, while we stood there, three of the four vehicles leaving Nablus were inspected. One driver, on his way into Nablus, waited patiently for his turn while the vehicles leaving the city were being inspected, because the inspections aren’t carried out in both directions at the same time. He was inspected in turn, and went in. Attached are photos of vehicles waiting while inspections are carried out.
16:50 Huwwara. According to the article: “The Huwwara checkpoint, to the south, has been opened to automobile traffic, that recently has been able to leave and enter the city freely. The soldiers at the checkpoint are supposed to prevent Israeli cars from entering during the week, but Israeli Arabs are allowed to enter with their cars on Friday and Saturday. In addition, from time to time the soldiers carry out random checks of Palestinian cars.”
The pedestrian area is almost empty. A taxi driver, an old friend by now, says that only villagers who live very near the checkpoint go through on foot (those from Huwwara, Burin, Awarta, Odlalla). Vehicles enter Nablus without being delayed. There are two positions at the exit, a short line (numbering 10-15 vehicles most of the time). Some go through immediately, others are stopped.
17:50 Za’tara (Tapuach). 13 vehicles from the north. The position for those coming from the west isn’t manned at all. According to the article, “This is the only checkpoint in the entire northern West Bank at which Palestinian vehicles are always inspected.” As we saw today, this claim is not correct.
18:10 Shomron gate – we returned to I
'Anabta CP
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'Anabta CP
The checkpoint is located south of the village of 'Anabta, at the intersection of Road 60 (leading to Nablus at the entrance to Area A), with Road (57, 557, 5576) facing west towards the Einav settlement and the checkpoint at the exit from the West Bank - Figs checkpoint. Until 2010 we used to watch the intersection and report the long columns created due to a slow inspection of the vehicles in both directions.
Oct-28-2011Anabta checkpoint 24.10.11
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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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Deir Sharaf checkpoint
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Deir Sharaf checkpoint is located west of Nablus and south of the settlement of Shavei Shomron, at the entrance to the village of Deir Sharaf on the road leading to Nablus. The checkpoint was activated in early March 2009 after the Beit Iba checkpoint was closed. Palestinians are allowed through the checkpoint , but not for Israelis. Unlike the checkpoints leading to Qalqilya and Tulkarm, crossing of Israeli Palestinians is only allowed on Saturdays.
Nina SebaFeb-28-2024Deir Sharaf - the entrance to the village
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing This checkpoint, also known as the Fruit Crossing, is one of the main checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank. It is located on Route 55 between Alfei Menashe and the turn to Qalqilya and Zufin, more than 4 km east of the Green Line, in the separation fence, which separates Qalqilya from its lands to the south, thus leaving Alfei Menashe West of the fence - the Seam Zone. This checkpoint, a few kilometers across the Green Line, is intended for "Israeli settlement in the West Bank and the population of the Seam Zone." It is managed by a civil company. Palestinians with a special permit for their lands in the seam area are also allowed to pass through it, on foot, and sometimes by car.
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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)
.Shoshi AnbarMay-18-2025Huwara: The old houses in Area C
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Qalqiliya checkpoint
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Qalqilya is surrounded on all sides by the separation barrier. The only exit from the city is in the east of the city on the road that leaves the city in an easterly direction. This is where the checkpoint was located. When the checkpoint was active until 2009 our shifts watched long queues of cars being inspected at the only exit from the city to the West Bank. The checkpoint was canceled, but there is a military presence at the entrance to the city.Karin LindnerMay-18-2025Etz Ephraim settlement. Nurit overlooks Siniriya
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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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