Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Tue 4.12.07, Morning
Translation: Ruth F.
Even when it all seems to be fine and the checkpoints function relatively calmly, it's an impossible situation and the people passing are extremely angry.
For the last couple of weeks there has been a checkpoint at the entrance to the occupied territories on
route number 5.
The entrance to Zeita was blocked with huge cement blocks.
Za'tara/Tapuach Junction –
From the direction of route 5, three cars were waiting for an inspection. From the direction of Nablus there were 20 cars and the traffic was flowing.
Up to Huwwara checkpoint there were no blockages.
7:55 Huwwara checkpoint
There was much traffic in the parking lot, we heard lots of honking and people shouting out the their destinations, the bagel stand was open without any interruptions and the coffee salesman was there as well.
When we went up the stairs, a young man came in our direction and told us that three people were sitting in the detainee cell since 5 AM, their IDs were taken under pretext that they were forged. We went to see them and they seemed rather amused, they told us that since 5 or 6 AM they had been in the detention cell, and asked that we find out what was going on.
Obviously the soldiers responded politely and took no notice of the white line and neither did we, obviously.
About 100 people were waiting to exit Nablus, the inspection appeared to be the regular ones, but most of the men seemed very angry, they all got out with their belt in their hand, stopping to dress themselves, arrange their packages and calm down from the experience, when we asked them how long they waited , most of the answers were of between half an hour and up to two hours.
During the whole shift the humanitarian line was open to women and the elders. A very old man arrived, he was heading to Nablus. He didn't go to the turnstile but to the soldier that stood next to us. The soldier stopped a car and told the old man to get inside, we learned that this soldier was A. the checkpoint commander.
The soldiers were Yeshiva students that live in the occupied territories and so was the commander, their behavior was very well tempered.
The soldiers (from the MP) at the inspection both were very rude and most of the contact between the residents is done through them. They yell at those waiting, shout at them to arrange the line, yell at each other from one both to the other, it was so strident that we asked the commander to tell them to calm down. After a few minutes he came back and told us that he spoke to their commander and after that the humiliating "routine" was preformed quietly.
At the entrance to Nablus was the usual stream of pedestrians and only a few cars, since the car inspection post was manned the whole time there was no line. Apart for the cars that had a foreign number, all the drivers that had a permit were allowed to pass.
At the entrance to Nablus on the road, was a ten year old boy helping his blind father to pass, there was also a woman pushing an invalid in his chair.
8:15- We recognized the DCO representative (T'), who explained to us that two of the detainees had forged IDs, they had even admitted it to be true. They were now waiting for the police to take their testimony and probably send them back to Nablus. The third detainee was, as they call it, a "bingo"- they gave his ID number to the GSS to examine it and they were waiting for an answer.
After five minutes the blue police arrived, they filled a form, the other detainees were rebuked and sent back to Nablus, only one of them was left.
The waiting time for cars at the exit from Nablus was of half an hour: They checked the engine, the trunk and the packages in the car were taken to the x-ray machine.
8:30- There were still about 100 people waiting to pass, even though the inspections were relatively quick.
8:40- T' from the DCO asked that we tell him how the checkpoint had changed through out the time we had been coming there, he was preparing a lecture for his unit and we have a "History Memory" of about 4 years.
9:30- Things hardly changed the whole time, there was still much pressure at the exit. The third detainee got his ID back and was released.
We left for Beit Furik.
9:40- Beit Furik checkpoint
For a change no one used the white line against us. The commander was most cooperative and came to speak with us. When we asked why there was only one inspection post for cars and why the drivers had to wait for a half an hour (as they reported), the commander opened another post and all the cars disappeared immediately from the checkpoints on both directions.
There were only a few pedestrians, which is normal for this hour.
10:00 – Awarta
One car was waiting to enter Nablus. A. came to us and told us that the soldiers were alright on this day, and that everything was fine.
It was very strange but on the way back, Za'tara/ Tapouah junction was empty on both ways in the middle of the day.
'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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