‘Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Thu 5.2.09, Afternoon
Translator: Charles K.
14:31 Zeita – Entry closed as usual, on the way back as well.
14:37 Za'tara – No wait from the west; from the north, 18 vehicles waiting to be inspected in two lanes.
15:00 Huwwara checkpoint –
M. A. a Nablus resident, employed as a fireman, wanted to go to Huwwara. He waited patiently on line, as one does at the checkpoint, and reached the eastern inspection booth. He slid his ID card into the slot but didn't get it back: the person in front of him took it by accident.
The female soldier in the booth waved him away quickly, indifferently, what does she care whether he goes through or not. Two friends helped him translate into Hebrew and into English (one is a relative of Ibrahim Toukan, the poet), trying to explain to the soldier what happened. They called the Za'tara checkpoint to see whether someone came with an ID card that isn't his. The answer was negative.
The soldier told M.A. to go home, and promised that if the ID card is found it will be sent to the Palestinian Coordination Authority.
On Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday – until Monday – he couldn't leave Nablus because he had no ID card, so he couldn't go through any checkpoint. On Monday – if the ID hadn't been found – he'd have to apply for a new ID card.
There was no DCO representative at the checkpoint. After complaining to S. at the humanitarian office, who forwarded our complaint to the DCO headquarters, they got around to sending a representative. But –
Although we tried to convince N. the DCO representative, to give M.A. a document confirming his ID had been lost at the checkpoint so he could be mobile during these days, and so he won't have to pay the fine for a lost ID – M.A. didn't get the document, because he didn't have the authorization everyone from Nablus has to show at the checkpoint. We didn't know that such authorization was necessary; after inquiring, it turned out that there such authorization is unnecessary.
Who cares?
Nevertheless, after contacting the humanitarian center again late that evening, S. promised to keep trying to get a document for him in the morning confirming he'd lost his ID at the checkpoint (Blessed be the believer!).
Al Najah University cancelled classes today because of the death of Salah al Masri, an important person at the school, so we didn't see the students going home Thursday as usual. By the way, we learned that the Moslem period of mourning is three days for a male and one for a female.
Much traffic entering Nablus. The width of the turnstile is 55 cm.
We counted 15 vehicles waiting to be inspected leaving Nablus; from time to time a vehicle entering was inspected and a long line formed that quickly disappeared afterwards.
17:00 Beit Furik checkpoint –
3 detainees: because of an alert about a "a group in a white vehicle" they're checking IDs. A photo will be sent.
17:20 Awarta checkpoint –
A VIP vehicle gets special treatment leaving. We see many banknotes passed from one side to the other – a Brinks truck, men in company uniforms and men in suits. The checkpoint was closed while the money was being transferred and a fairly long line of vehicles formed going to Nablus from Awarta.
18:30 Za'tara checkpoint –
We saw no vehicles waiting; many vehicles coming from the south, toward the north (to Nablus).
'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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