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‘Awarta, ‘Azzun ‘Atma, Beit Furik, Eliyahu Crossing, Habla, Huwwara, Shomron Crossing, Za’tara (Tapuah), Thu 8.9.11, Afternoon

Observers: Rachel Levy, Yehudit Levin (reporting and photographing)
Sep-08-2011
| Afternoon

Translator:  Charles K.

 

13:55 Habla agricultural gate No. 1393 –Maybe the wind blew shut the entry gate to Habla, and maybe not.  In any case, a vehicle whose passengers entered the rooms for inspection continues on its way only after they confirm that they’re allowed to open the gate.  Soldiers examine the interior of the empty vehicle and the driver takes it to the second gate, which is still open, toward Israel.

A guy who apparently has been interrogated appears from somewhere; he’s now permitted to go home.

 At the last minute we see a horse and wagon carrying two Palestinians and a great deal of scrap metal.  They arrive to enter Habla – and immediately make a 180 degree turn (that is, back to Israel) without anyone saying anything.  The soldiers, meanwhile, close the gate because it’s 2 PM.  The Palestinians tell us they’re not allowed to bring scrap metal into Palestine!  The soldiers tell us that those are orders from the DCO.

We later see the whole load on Route 55.  Maybe they’ll try to come in through the Eliyahu crossing.

14:10  Eliyahu crossing –A roomy parking lot has been built at the eastern entrance to the checkpoint, and a structure which looks like a pedestrian terminal surrounded, for now, by a wall.

Reservists at the checkpoint inspect an Israeli vehicle.  Border police soldiers and two police cars are present.

All along Route 55, a distance of some kilometers, from Azzun to Al Funduq, Israeli flags fly from every electric pole.

(The settlements of Ma’aleh Shomron, Ginot Shomron and Karney Shomron lie east of the road.)

14:25 An army jeep comes toward us between Qedumim and Al Funduq.

14:30 An army pickup truck comes toward us between Gilad Ranch and Jit Junction. 

14:48 Huwwara checkpoint –A soldier guards the hitchhiking stop in the direction of the settlement of Bracha, a soldier in the guard tower opposite the hitchhiking stop for those leaving Bracha.  Signs supporting Migron hang on the fence next to the hitchhiking stop and on the fence of the Huwwara checkpoint – “The decline stops at Migron,” etc.  We see no soldiers at the checkpoint itself

14:50 Awarta checkpoint –The metal arm is closed – no one enters or leaves.

14:55 Beit Furik checkpoint –We saw no soldiers at the checkpoint

15:25An army jeep comes toward us between Za’tara and Huwwara.

15:26 Za’tara checkpoint –Border Police soldiers stand at the checkpoint but don’t conduct inspections.  There’s a little congestion.

On the checkpoint fences here as well there’s an unimpeded display of slogans on large banners expressing the settlers’ point of view about the evacuation of Migron,.

15:40 Shomron crossing –Employees of the “Land Crossings Authority” inspect people entering Israel.

15:53 Azzun Atma checkpoint –Laborers wait on line, but there’s no congestion.

 

 

 

 

 

  • 'Awarta

    See all reports for this place
    • Awarta, an internal checkpoint in the heart of the West Bank, is located east of the Hawara checkpoint, at the junction of Roads 555 (which was forbidden for Palestinian traffic in this area) and the entrance road to Nablus. It was one of the four checkpoints that surrounded Nablus until 2009. We used to watch it at Huwwara shifts because it was the only one where goods could be transferred to and from Nablus, using the back-to-back method. It was operated by the army, from 06:00 to 20:00. Until 2009.
      Awarta: a long line of cars
      Ronit Dahan-Ramati
      Sep-08-2011
      Awarta: a long line of cars
  • 'Azzun 'Atma

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    • 'Azzun 'Atma
      A Palestinian village of about 1,800 residents. The settlement of Sha'arei Tikva was established on its land adjacent to it, and the settlement of Oranit was established on its agricultural lands. By 2013, the separation fence had passed through the village and a checkpoint staffed by the army allowed the residents to cross from side to side. After building a massive wall surrounding the village and some of its agricultural lands, the residents went daily for five years to their lands that remained in the Seam Zone through the Oranit agricultural checkpoint (4). Since 2018 it has only  opened during the olive harvest and the farmers have to pass daily at the Beit Amin / Abu Salman checkpoint (1447), about 3 kilometers north.

      From a report from March 24, 2021: "The farmers from Beit Amin and Azon Atma are happy that since February 21 the Oranit checkpoint .is going to be open 3 times a day, The farmers are really developing the place."

      Report from July 14, 2024: "Ornit checkpoint is closed . The Beit Amin/Abu Salman agricultural checkpoint is closed (there is no contact with the military to check if it opens rarely), the Ezbat Jaloud checkpoint was opened once a day before the war.

      Updated for July 2024

       

      עזון: הכניסה הראשית לכפר עזון: חסומה כבר מספר שבועות
      Apr-11-2019
      Azoun: The main entrance to village blocked now for several weeks
  • Beit Furik checkpoint

    See all reports for this place
    • 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)
  • Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing

    See all reports for this place
    • 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.  
  • Habla

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    • Habla CP (1393)

      The Habla checkpoint (1393) was established on the lands of the residents of Qalqilya, on the short road that

      connected it for centuries to the nearby town of Habla. The separation barrier intersects this road twice and cut off the residents of Qalqilya from their lands in the seam zone.(between the fence and the green line).
      There is a passage under Road 55 that connects Qalqilya to the sabotage This agricultural barrier is used by the farmers and nursery owners established along Road 55 from the Green Line and on both sides of the kurkar road leading to the checkpoint.
      This agricultural checkpoint serves the residents of Arab a-Ramadin al-Janoubi (detached from the West Bank), who pass through it to the West Bank and back to their homes. The opening hours (3 times a day) of this agricultural checkpoint are longer than usual, about an hour (recently shortened to 45 minutes), and are coordinated with the transportation hours of a-Ramadin children studying in the occupied in the West Bank.

       

      מחסום חבלה: מערכת שערים
      Ronit Dahan-Ramati
      Apr-25-2025
      Habla Checkpoint: system of gates
  • 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)

      .
      Huwara: traffic jam on the main road
      Fathiya Akfa
      Apr-25-2025
      Huwara: traffic jam on the main road
  • Shomron Crossing

    See all reports for this place
    • Shomron Crossing The Shomron checkpoint for vehicles. is located east of Rosh HaAyin and Kafr Qassem, on Road 5 (Trans-Samaria) leading to Ariel and the Za'atara junction. It is intended for blue ID cardholders, foreign guests or diplomats, and international organizations only. In 2009 the management was entrusted to a civil security company.  
      Shomron crossing checkpoint 23.10.08
      Nava Eisen
      Nov-9-2008
      Shomron crossing checkpoint 23.10.08
  • Za'tara (Tapuah)

    See all reports for this place
    • 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.  
      זעתרא (צומת תפוח). שלטים
      Shoshi Anbar
      Sep-27-2023
      Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
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