‘Awarta, Huwwara, Sun 22.2.09, Morning
Translation: Ruth F.
7:40 Za'tara-
One vehicle at the western checkpoint, a bus was being inspected at the northern post while ten other vehicles were waiting at the checkpoint. On our way to Huwwara we noticed that there was much traffic at the direction of the checkpoint.
7:45 Beita:
Command post jeep was parked across from the village, observing those coming out of it. No vehicle was pulled over.
7:50 A BP jeep arrived and first jeep left. During the whole half an hour we were there no car was pulled over.
8:30 Huwwara
Twenty people or so were at the turnstiles. People heading into Nablus.
The rain was pouring. We weren't allowed to stand anywhere under the shelter, we therefore spent most of our shift in the car, a privilege reserved only for us, and not for the Palestinians who walked in the rain, most of them didn't have anything to keep them dry.
About 15 cars were at the exit from Nablus. Some went through a short inspection and were then sent off. Others were more thoroughly inspected, the baggage, the hood and all the doors were opened. The driver was told to step outside, regardless of the heavy rain and the fact that he wasn't dressed appropriately.
We headed back to the turnstiles. Water had accumulated right at the inspection posts of the new ingénues structure, and no one could stand there. The cleaner trying getting rid of the water with a squeegee, but the instrument was to short, doesn't the IDF know that one can find squeegees longer then 20 centimeters, these days. The cleaner had to push the water quickly, because for some reason they tend to return to the lower spot.
9:50 – About 15 people were waiting at the turnstiles.
9:55 Awarta:
About 15 vehicles were at the checkpoint. The inspections were rather quick.
10:00 we left
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'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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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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