Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Mon 7.1.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
13.05 Crossroads of Ariel. The hiking post is guarded by two armed soldiers.
Kif Al Haras. Back to back continues. There is a barricade of stones.
We go to the road leading to Bruqin where there is still a barricade. We met the driver of a private car who said that he had been called to the place by the family of a man who was not feeling well and they wanted him to take the man to Huwwara. From there a taxi would take him to hospital. When we left the man had still not reached the barricade. We made an official complaint to the humanitarian centre but B. said that without the name and ID of the mind he could do nothing. We explained that the barricade itself made life difficult for people living in Bruqin and Dik. When will it be removed. One can only ask the commander of the brigade.
Za'tara. 13.25 From the west were 9 car being checked in two lines, only the ID. When we left there was no line at all.
When we got to the parking lot we met a taxi and one of the people said "All honour that you are here. We work for the Palestinian authority and have been delayed an hour already. The dog checked the seats, our clothes, is that pleasant?" When we arrived they were on their way.While we were speaking to them two more cars were detained.
A truck with goods of which the boxes were checked randomly by a military policeman and of course the dog. 10 minute later he went on his way. We are not sure for how long he was delayed, Passengers of a bus were all made to alight and to do the dance and after their IDs were checked they went on their way. We then found that this was the first shift of the squad and therefore they were being very careful.
We then went to the commander to ask why the workers of the PA had been delayed and was there a special reason for this. He said that they could pass without being checked as did the Israeli cars. How was this? They have white license plates and until documents were checked the Israeli soldiers had no way of knowing who they are. And when we spoke of the long delay all present burst out that no car had waited more than 10 minutes and so it was obvious that they had to check something.
Checkpoint of Burin. Not manned.
13.50 Beit Furik.
3 cars and the drivers said they had been there half an hour. Drivers said that today the checkpoint is handled well and there are no special delays,
Opposite the guard post next to the electric post is a man who does not speak Hebrew. Two men who have just left Nablus help to translate. He is a detainee of the secret service and has been there an hour in the wind already. Two minutes after we arrive he is called to a jeep standing near and told to do the dance and then questioned and sent to Nablus.
We saw a woman who was detained as she had tried to enter Yitamar. Because of the happenings afterwards we could not find out more.
A car stopped for questioning and immediately the carnival began. Women in Blue and White get out and immediately start with their usual pleasant words…."Idiots,Nazis, Watch , Watch, Bitch , Bitch, Anti-Semites, Dead Bodies, you aren't Israelis and instead of helping to guard the soldiers all day you are busy with the media against the army and the poor soldiers." They pointed at Macky and said she was our administrators who gathers all kinds of delinquent girls. Before we leave the commander goes up to them to see what they have brought for the hungry soldiers. After an argument between Ricky and Kobi our photographer we received her close escort all the way to the car so that he should not film . And Tamar says there is the psychiatrist of the area just when he is needed. All the cars that were waiting passed while we were there.
14.25 Awarta. Many trucks. 10 cars.
The olive seller says that today there is a good commander and an easy passage.
14,39 Huwwara.
The checkpoint is nearly empty. A. from the DCO explains that although there are few people the passage is slow because there is a new squad. They were being trained. The shed is half full and in the humanitarian line few people. Cars are carefully checked but freed after about two minutes. But everything is checked in the x-ray machine.
The pedestrian line is slower and takes time. Everyone has to do the dance and take off their belts. A man who forgot his ID yesterday at the checkpoint comes to find it and A. looks for it and returns it to the man.
Za'tara. 15 cars from the west which go through quickly.
'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-RamatiJan-6-2026Awarta: Traffic jam on the way to 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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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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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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