‘Anabta, Deir Sharaf, Huwwara, Irtah (Sha’ar Efrayim), Sun 21.3.10, Afternoon
Tapuach Zaatara Junction Checkpoint 14:50
About 40 cars waiting to be checked coming from Nablus, but moving.
In Huwwara village we learn of the killing of two boys from Awarta a few hours ago.
Our conversants did not know what we had later found out from Israeli media, that the killers were soldiers, not settlers. Nor did they know details, the horror was specified only later.
As for the previous day’s victim, as we did not know, we passed through Burin village to look for Ahmad, our sweets vender boy for whom friends on the net had expressed their concern, and found his father. He informed us that Ahmad is fine, and that the victim (meanwhile we have learned there were two) was not from Burin but from Iraq Burin.
Huwwara Checkpoint 15:30
And after this, we arrive at the checkpoint and spring is glorious and boys are being murdered day after day (is there a new ambitious battalion commander around?).
The checkpoint commander, as usual, was quick to come by and try to move us back. Unlike his colleagues he even agreed to explain why – we might find ourselves in the midst of crossfire in case the terrorist shows up. After we assured him that when this happens, we shall be very agile, hop over the concrete ledge next to where we stand and take shelter in the ‘pen’ that once, eons ago, held the detainees at the original pedestrian checkpoint, he left us in peace.
A sniffer dog was present; traffic moved freely.
16:00 At the turnoff from Huwwara road to Yitzhar road, a Border Patrol jeep and two men seen checking a car and driver. Lots of ambulances on the roads – Palestinian and one army ambulance – and lots of army vehicles seen on the roads. Other than that, the looks of a bucolic idyll…
Jit junction – both army and police seen, no cars held up.
Deir Sharaf Checkpoint 16:15
Unmanned.
Yrtah (Efrayim) Checkpoint 16:45
The outside gate of the compound is closed to vehicles. We were told and also saw several prefab structures waiting to be installed. Upgrades galore. We were reminded of the flower pots at Huwwara pedestrian checkpoint a moment before it was suddenly shut down.
Workers move in swiftly, no waiting outside the entry turnstile. From afar we see them going through to the other side so obviously they are not being held up inside.
17:00 on our way home to Israel.
'Anabta CP
See all reports for this place-
'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
-
Deir Sharaf checkpoint
See all reports for this place-
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
-
Huwwara
See all reports for this place-
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
-
Irtah (Sha'ar Efrayim)
See all reports for this place-
The checkpoint is for Palestinians only. It is the main barrier to the passage of workers from the northern West Bank to Israel. Workers with a permit to work in Israel and also for trade (with appropriate permissions), medicine, and visiting prisoners. One can cross the checkpoint only on foot. The checkpoint is located north of Road 557 and south of Tulkarm. Operated by a civil security company, opening hours: between 4:00 and 19:00 on weekdays. As members of Machsom Watch, we began our shifts to this location in 2007. We arrived before it opened at 4 in the morning and report since, on the harsh conditions and the long and crowded queues of workers. The workers who pass by continue their journey by transportation to work throughout Israel. In the first period of its activity, about 3,000 and then 5,000 people passed through this checkpoint every day. Due to the small number of checking points and arbitrary delays for long periods of time in the "rooms", workers feared losing their transportation. Hence workers leave their homes at 2:30 at night to be among the first. Today, 15,000 pass and the transition is faster. Workers are still leaving their homes very early to get past the checkpoint at 7 p.m. In an adjacent compound, there is a terminal for the transfer of goods on a commercial scale, using the back-to-back method.
-