Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Thu 22.5.08, Morning
Translation: Ruth F.
I meant to write "Today the checkpoint was good", but then an anonymous captain arrived.
6:20- The police wasn't present at Sa'ar Ha'shomron east.
The entrance to Marda was open, the entrance to Zeita was still blocked.
6:40- Za'tara/Tapouah junction:
No cars were waiting from the west and 29 cars were waiting from Huwwara.
The air force reserve soldiers were still there. The atmosphere was to the point and eased. There were no dog trainers. A bus was sent to the lot, its passengers were told to get off and stand in a line under the sun, while their IDs were being inspected. After five minutes they headed on.
There was no activity at Beita junction.
Burin/Yitzhar checkpoint wasn't manned.
7:00- Huwwara-
The Nahal soldiers were still there.
The soldiers had a binocular and there was a dog trainer but there were no detainees. The parking lot was full and the smell of Falafel was everywhere.
P' the commander said that he wasn't there when the Palestinian was killed, a different soldier said that he had seen the explosives on his body with his very eyes, that he was sure that they weren't just cellular phones and earphones.
7:50- Awarta:
There was no line of trucks but there were a number of Palestinian trucks that were unloading in the "back to back" system.
8:10- Beit Furik:
Only two cars were waiting to enter the city and a number of cars were waiting from the other side. There were few pedestrians. The checkpoint commander made sure that we stood far from his checkpoint.
We made a stop at the "Tea House" and the journalist that was with us interviewed in Arabic the drivers that were waiting there.
8:25- Back at Huwwara.
Very thing seemed to be as clam as before. And then we noticed that behind the toilets was a military vehicle and by it stood a Palestinian and a solider. We tried coming near it but the soldier signaled us to stay away. We also saw that at the end of the inspection shed was a group of youngsters waiting. We learned that the soldier standing behind the toilets was some sort of captain (the Palestinians couldn't remember his name), who took them one by one to that corner for a futile conversation (according to the Palestinians). The DCO and the checkpoint commander didn't know what it was all about. They said there was no problem and that soon everyone would be released. The Humanitarian Center didn't have any answers either. Our guest talked to those waiting in Arabic and we couldn't find anything that they had in common, but non of them seemed to be worried, they were only impatient and wanted to head on.
9:40- The last detainee finished his conversation with the captain, he left the checkpoint and so did we.
9:50- Za'tara/Tapouah junction- there were no cars waiting.
As usual at Sha'ar Ha'shomron there were no inspections for those entering Israe
'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-22-2008Awarta: 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
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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)
.Fathiya AkfaMay-22-2008Huwara: traffic jam on the main road
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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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