Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Thu 26.6.08, Morning
Translation: Tal H.
6:46 – Shaar Shomron Crossing
Police car and 2-3policemen at the barrier.
On the way we saw something that looks like the inside of a construction on the slope of Barkan Industrial Zone – are they possibly expanding it?
7:00 – Marda – the entrance is open, and Zeita village, as usual, is blocked off the highway by concrete slabs.
7:05 Za'tara/Tapuach Junction –
Coming from Ariel, no waiting cars. From Huwwara, however, there are about 40 cars waiting to be checked, and although all three lanes are open when we arrive and the rate of passage is 'reasonable', it seems that the soldiers are not up to handling the full pressure. There are only about 5 soldiers at the checkpoint including the sniffer-dog trainer. As we watch we notice that one of the lanes is repeatedly closed. At the center of the roundabout, a soldier stands guard over the Menorah stationed in the middle of the junction. After a while the commander approaches us. The soldiers are reservists, and he tells us that some of them have a sports day today, that's why so few man the checkpoint. Interesting: reservists are sent off to have a sports day, while such activity worsens the pressure at the checkpoint.
7:30 – we leave for Huwwara, there are still about 40 cars at a time, waiting to be checked.
7:40 Huwwara
The taxi park is nearly full, few pedestrians exiting Nablus.
8:22 – Awarta
At the wares terminal, back-to-back transports are conducted as we arrive.
There is no waiting line of trucks in either direction. G. A.A. says only our shift and that of Nava E. arrive at that checkpoint lately.
8:34 Beit Furiak
The approach road to the checkpoint from the village is nearly empty, 4 cars stand in line and are passed quickly. The taxi drivers tell us the checkpoint "has been working well" this past week. They also say that the rise in fuel prices has damaged their livelihood. They actually work nearly just enough to buy fuel. The checkpoint itself is almost empty, a trickle of pedestrians.
9:44 – Za'tara/Tapuach Junction on our way back – no more cars waiting in line.
9:50 – Marda and Zeita, as on our way there.
'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-RamatiJun-26-2008Awarta: 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 AkfaJun-26-2008Huwara: 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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