‘Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Tue 31.3.09, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
Little traffic at Huwwara because of the removal of the checkpoint at Beit Iba. The Palestinians ask what will be with Huwwara. The drivers complain that they cannot make a living.
12.30 Shaar Ephraim. Trucks with trailers. "Kardosh from Nazareth" has been pasted on the sides, At the exit from the West Bank 5 trucks carrying armoured vehicles.
Za'tara CP. Empty of cars.
Beit Furik. 13.10
Wearers of red berets man the checkpoint. The checking is random and other cars duck away from the eyes of the soldiers. The drivers hesitate a moment before the checkpoint in case they may be caught for a random check and then they put on speed and go past. We feel from afar their sigh of relief.
13.20 Awarta. No cars in line.
13.20 Huwwara.
No many people. The taxi and buses drivers and tell us about the problems of timing. Not enough get through because of Beit Iba having been removed. "People whose cars have stood unused at their homes for many years now take them to get where they want with the family. Also students prefer to stay in the city where they are studying and so the pressure on Thursday afternoon and Sunday in the morning is greater."
Drivers and people from Huwwara ask us again and again about what will be the fate of the checkpoint at Huwwara. Their tone is pessimistic. One driver went even further and fantasized that he wants the checkpoint to continue in a luxurious way. The others say that he must be crazy and should be hospitalized.
The lane of cars goes swiftly. When we come there are 3 lines checked by the wearers of red berets who seem very efficient. 7 minutes for a taxi filled with people. Later there were only two lanes and 17 cars piled up…took 15 minutes. Now the dog trainer is also more active.
N. of the DCO . We ask about the shooting of Ibrahiem Ali of Jamaiem last week. He was badly wounded and is in hospital and it seems his leg will be amputated. N. says he passed at night at about 23.00 with two buckets in which were metal poles for making fences. He wore a long coat. The soldiers shouted to him to stop and when he did not do so shot at him and he was wounded.
A young man is detained as his name appears in the list that the soldiers have. His cousin is waiting and says that every day he is caught even though he has been to "Hagai" at the DCO. We ask N. to ask and free him and he does so.
15.20 Za'tara.
12 cars from Nablus. 3 Palestinian cars are checked by police, a dog trainer and dog with a soldier guarding her. The drivers are sent away until the check is completed. A new car gets very special and thorough inspection.
15.30 Before the village of Ariel a police car stops a Palestinian car in a very unsafe area and checks.
At the roundabout at the turning to Kifel Haris 3 soldiers stand with rifles at the ready.
'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-RamatiApr-23-2026Awarta Checkpoint is empty
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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.
Ronit Dahan-RamatiJun-9-2026Za'atara (Tapuach Junction). The Temple Flag Above a Station
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