‘Awarta, Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 14.1.09, Morning
Translator: Charles K.
7:20 Za'tara – Tapuach.
About 10 vehicles from the west and only 3 cars waiting from the north. Two cars being inspected in the parking lot, surrounded by armed soldiers and by police. We went over to watch; the tumult dissipated in a couple of minutes and the vehicle went on its way, so we didn't try to find out what was going on.
Light traffic on Huwwara's village main road; shops have begun opening. We didn't see pupils going to school (see below – Curfew!).
A Border Police vehicle opposite Beita. The entrance was open at this hour.
7:30 Beit Furik – The checkpoint is empty, 2 soldiers on duty. They're checking randomly and fairly quickly.
7:50 Awarta –
A number of soldiers are manning the new booth farther in front, intended for commercial vehicles with permits and VIP vehicles. They're not pleased, to say the least, to see us and talk, and ask us to leave. One vehicle was being inspected while we were there; a second waited some distance away.
8:00 Huwwara:
The lot is almost empty. Few people go through the new checkpoint. A humanitarian lane on the left. From where we're permitted to stand (next to the entry turnstile to Nablus) it's very hard to see anything happening on the left side.
Three turnstiles inside are operating, a metal detector and a place for possessions. Farther on, in front, three booths were inspections are conducted without physical contact. Soldier checking ID's sit behind a protective transparent wall. The ID is passed through a slot and returned to a lower pocket. There are exits on two sides, but both aren't always operating. We didn't observe any problems.
The Palestinians seem to have "gotten used" to the system.
One or two busses in the parking lot all the time we where there, but relatively few cars. There aren't any peddlers, but there are portable stands. Apparently they're allowed to move from place to place.
After the market was taken down they learned to improvise; candy and other things are again displayed on the concrete barriers near the checkpoint. The peddlers tell us that from time to time they're arrested in order to remove them from the checkpoint's area.
They're also angry at the DCO representative who actively participates in efforts to remove them.
There was a taxi driver in the isolation pen when we were there. He didn't obey instructions, and they decided to teach him a lesson. It appears to be punishment. We contacted the humanitarian office and also talked to the commander. After a short time the humanitarian center informed us they had contacted the checkpoint. We asked the commander not to "carry out the sentence;" people are having enough trouble as it is. He promised to try. From time to time we went back to the vicinity of the inspection booths and spoke with the checkpoint commander, trying to convince him to let us stand there rather than at a distance.
The vehicle lanes:
Unrestricted entry for vehicles, but we saw very few.
Rigorous inspections of almost every vehicle leaving Nablus.
In general, people are pretty confused, pained and fearful because of the situation.
9:50 Huwwara village is closed down. A curfew has been imposed again, as on previous days. The Border Patrol jeep that usually stands opposite the entrance to Beita isn't visible now. We called Zaharan and made clear our opinion about the automatic, uncreative reaction to incidents of youths throwing stones (it isn't how many there were that day, or where). We certainly warned them that the whole business would blow up in their face as anger accumulates and hatred increases. As if the war isn't enough, the curfew reminds everyone that the West Bank is also under occupation, and also severely damages normal life. He promised to talk to the brigade commander and get back to us, but nothing happened – not that we had any hopes, but we musn't give up!!!
Za'tara-Tapuach – A small number of vehicles waiting at the checkpoint from the north.
'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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