‘Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Thu 15.9.11, Morning
Route 5. Sha'ar Shomron, Kifl Haris, Qira, Jamma'in, Einabus, Hawwara, Awarta, Beit Furik and back. 15 September 2011
Translation: Suzanne O.
We drive through the end of summer scenery, pre-Palestinian State declaration.
All three of us took a break this summer from going to the territories and we were pleased to try out Route 5.
It is a week before the declaration of the Palestinian State and there are no obvious signs of what may/could happen here. The Palestinians, like the Israelis, shrug their shoulders in a 'don't know' attitude, they have no faith in the fettered Abu Mazen and we have no faith in our government. As promised in this morning's newspaper there is not much military presence, there are no new flags. There is uncertainty in the air.
There are banners in red and black: "The down hill run will end at Migron" In Hawwara and Za'tara Junction giving hints of what may/could happen.
We follow road signs and the new maps which 'the trail blazers' Dalia and Tsvia prepared for us. One drives, the second navigates, the third points out the wild flowers, dates and the lovely scenery.
Kifl Haris
The gate is open; we climb up the ridge and drive on winding, easy roads.
Qira directly overlooks Ariel.
Jamma'in
We were amazed at the size of the village. Really it is a town. When one thinks of how many years it was cordoned off …
Einabus
It absolutely borders on Hawwara.
Huwwara
It is full of life. We turn in the direction of Odelia, Awarta. A Border Police jeep stops traffic for a spot inspection on both sides of the road. We didn't see it again later on.
The new fairground in Hawwara valley (in the direction of Beita): we alighted to see the miracle. (It rivals the one above Hawwara) We had a coffee with the owner– M.A. – who, with his two sons, invested 2 million of their own money to build it and are still in debt. M told us with pride that the big wheel is 26 metres high, while that of their competitor on the hill opposite measures only 22 metres and, even in Tel Aviv, the big wheel is only 24 metres high…
The fairground was empty and clean and our hearts went out to M., who, while not yet making a profit, has a vision of amusing the children in the area and providing them with a place to have fun and feel comfortable.
Awarta
We went into the grocery store we are familiar with and met with our old friends. We were offered dates. We discovered a modern oil press next to the shop where they store the oil, bottle and pack it for export to Europe and the USA. Preparations are well in hand for 15 October, the day the olive picking starts. The expected yield this year is 'so so' 30%.
The oil press owners told us that the army warned them that next week there would be a roadblock on the road from Awarta, between the DCO and the Awarta roadblock.
Miki searched for little Malk's house, for whom she had obtained permission to be operated on in Israel through the 'Peres Peace Centre'. We were delighted to meet the motherless beautiful little girl of 9 years of age.
Awarta roadblock
Closed.
Beit Furik village
As we arrived two military cars left. The news today reported the burning of 3 cars in the village. We drove along the fine road into the village and talked to inhabitants. They told us that in the morning there had been a roadblock at the exit to the village. The morning shift did not report a roadblock.
Beit Furik roadblock
There are no soldiers.
We returned via Hawwara, Za'tara/Tapuach Junction and Shomron Crossing. We saw no particular military activity.
More banners shook us again:
- "The down hill run will end at Migron"
- Freedom is over – we salute Migron
- Against the Arabs and Leftist organisations – help the "Regavim" act
- Regavim guard your home
- Only one organisation has the teeth to deal with the Leftist organisations www.regavim.org.il
'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.
Ronit Dahan-RamatiSep-15-2011Awarta: a long line of cars
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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
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
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