‘Awarta, Beit Furik, Hamra (Beqaot), Huwwara, Ma’ale Efrayim, Salfit Checkpoint, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sat 9.6.12, Morning
Translator: Hanna K.
9:40 Salfit CP
This CP began as concrete Blocks which were cleared from a blockade on the road from Ariel to Salfit, about a year ago.
It began with two soldiers, a tiny booth and a few sand bags and a gate made of big plastic pieces (red, a meter and a half wide, one meter high) which were dragged away to enable passage. Only taxis were allowed to pass.
Later a bigger booth was placed opposite, at a distance of about five meters, and two yellow arms gates.
Today it is a rather big electrical CP but the road remained narrow and unassuming.
Since quite a time there is only one soldier there. He sits at a distance of about 30 meters, at the entrance gate to Ariel, together with the civilian guards there. From there he opens and closes the electrical iron yellow arms.
While we were there several taxis arrived: One arm is lifter, the taxi drives 5 meters, the arm is closed (the taxi now is confined between the two arms) the second arm is opened and the taxi goes on its way.
This is the procedure for every vehicle that arrives. For both directions this dedicated service is applied. All this by remote control.
While we were here there were no detentions and the soldier didn't even once come up to the vehicle. Both taxis and private cars passed.
09:50 We continued and after the traffic roundabout at the Ariel Kif'l Hareth junction, in the direction of Za'tara/Tapuahthere was a police jeep, a policeman and a soldier who stopped us and asked where we were going to.
They couldn't believe that we headed to Huwwara and weren't afraid. "Be careful" they advised us when were left.
We saw that they also stopped two cars behind us.
This is the first time that I see police at this point.
10:00 Za'tara/Tapuah junction.
There is no police and no soldiers on the road. While we were looking a border policeman and a border policewoman came down from the watch tower and went in the direction of the hitch-hiking station to Jerusalem.
They continued, made a round of the intersection and did not disturb the lively traffic.
At the Huwwara village all is teeming and bustling, as usual.
10:15 Huwwara CP – There are no soldiers at the CP, perhaps in the watch-tower.
10:18 Awarta gate – closed, as usual. The signpost that directed to the village isn't there, only the pillar is left. On the concrete blocks below there is a text sprayed on: "Jews, Revenge, Never More".
10:25 Beit Furik CP – There are no soldiers at the CP, and neither, so it seems, in the watch-tower.
10:40 Za'tara/Tapuah Junction –a soldier and a girl soldier in the watch tower.
10:50 Ma'ale Ephraim CP – No soldiers in view, neither in the watch-tower.
Many concrete blocks are scattered here, for no reason at all. The ugliness were bring into the beauty of the landscape is blatant. At the junction there are signposts for Jericho, Beit Shean, Mehora, Patzael, The Jordan Valley….The Arabic lettering is sprayed in black.
Goat herds grazing the last greenery that is left, the shepherds wave in greeting.
11:15 Hamra/Beqa'ot CP – from afar we saw two cars and a truck waiting to pass the CP and enter the valley, (when one stands at the CP one doesn’t see this queue). In the direction of Tubas there are five cars waiting. We stood behind them, waiting. Later we see three soldiers.
The truck opposite us entered the CP, was checked and Passed quickly.
Towards our side one of the soldiers began waving. Each car waits to be waved on and passes, without being checked. Opposite us a car entered the CP. the driver opened the doors and the luggage compartment. There are two soldiers with him.
11:35 All in all we saw that the soldiers wait for a car convoy to form and then they pass the cars on in sequence, in both directions.
This means that sometimes cars had to wait 5-8 minutes until they were let pass.
There were few pedestrians. One car waited 8 minutes for its pedestrians, whereas another car waited one minute for a single pedestrian.
12:00 Ma'ale Ephraim – it is empty.
12:25 Za'tara/Tapuah – There are soldiers only at the watch tower at the parking lot.
12:40 Samaria crossing – 6cars and one truck are waiting at the entrance to Israel. In the other direction the road is open and there is no checking.
Shalom, Shalom and we passed immediately.
'Awarta
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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.
Ronit Dahan-RamatiMay-12-2025Awarta: Waiting to move towards Nablus
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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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Hamra (Beqaot)
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One of the Jordan Rift Valley checkpoints that prevent direct transit between the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, in addition to Tayasir Checkpoint. Located next to Hamra settlement, on Route 57 and the Allon Road.
Read about the peple of the Jordan Valley and the quiet transfer happening there.
Shahar ShiloahNov-3-2021Ein Shibli: grazing begins close to home
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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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Ma'ale Efrayim
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Ma'ale Efrayim On the road connecting Route 90 (the Jordan Valley road) to the Allon Road.
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Salfit CP
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Salfit CP Approximately 15,000 residents live in the village of Salfit in Area A. The periphery villages associated with Salfit governorate (18 in number) have 75,000 residents. Around them live 60,000 settlers in 24 settlements (In the past there were violent demonstrations in the village against construction of the separation barrier). To the village big agricultural area between Salfit and Ariel, farmers can enter only in coordination with the Israeli DCO / DCL / DCL / DCL, once a year for picking and plowing, through three seasonal checkpoints: 4008, 4012, 4017. Ariel's wastewater flows towards the springs of Salfit and the operation of the purification plant built by a German company is delayed so far.
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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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