Atara, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Sat 6.9.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
Atara 15.00
The checkpoint is not manned. There are still cement blocks but no soldiers. In the sentry tower which is next to it is a soldier with field glasses. There are many cars on the way to and from Ramallah…just like Allenby Street.
Beit Furik 15.35
The checkpoint is empty and there is hardly any movement. The few cars pass quickly. On the glowing sign which warns that the Palestinian police are in control here is a sign from the Women in Blue and White thanking Machsomwatch for their help towards the success of the struggle of the terrorist groups.
We stood on the tips of our toes and took down the sign thinking to take it for ourselves when suddenly the commander of the checkpoint, a first sergeant appeared and with disgusting aggressiveness warned us not to touch anything which is the property of the checkpoint. We asked him if the sign was his and his reply was "Yes. I got it from the dear women in blue and white."
We asked the taxi drivers where the people had disappeared to as we thought that at this time people would be coming back from work so as to prepare the evening meal but did not get a clear answer.
Huwwara 16.30
The checkpoint is EMPTY. In all the long years that we have been here we have never seen anything like this. The average passage took not more than one minute. We hardly saw the people approaching when they had passed. We were so taken aback and were in total shock. We stayed until it was nearly dark and nothing changed. The checkpoint was empty most of the time. The checking of cars in both directions was superficial and fast except for one car which was sent back.
As there were no cars there was no reason for us to turn to the soldiers but "who does not go to the rabbi, the rabbi comes to him."
We stood at the other side of the blue line which previously had been white and then red. A soldier appeared and demanded that we stood on the other side and we refused. He said he would summons the police and we told him that that was a wonderful idea. He still tried to move us but we did not do so. He claimed that we were bothering him in his work. Work? There is no one here. Maybe he then realized how unintelligent the whole thing was because after that we heard nothing more.
We learned from the taxi drivers that most of the pressure was between 14.00 – 16.00 and will try to get there earlier next week.
'Atara
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'Atara Checkpoint
Situated at the northern entrance to Ramallah from Route 465, called also Bir Zeit Checkpoint. Nowadays only remains of what used to be a busy checkpoint remain, a pillbox and concrete blocks.
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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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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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