‘Awarta, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), יום ד’ 31.3.10, אחה”צ
Translation: Aliya S.
15:07 Za'atra/Tapuach Junction
There is very little traffic going through the junction. On the road from Nablus there are a number of vehicles. One taxi has been stopped and is being checked; all the other vehicles are going through.
15:35 Huwwara
We came up from the parking lot and stood in the area at the top of the steps. The soldier in charge of the checkpoint came to us from the post, checking the cars leaving Nablus.
This is the conversation that followed.
In charge: You can't stand here. I'm asking you to move to the other side of the post checking the traffic into Nablus.
We: We can stand here. We know the rules and we're not bothering anyone here.
He: I'm in charge here and you're bothering me.
We: If we were standing in the middle of the road, or by one of the checking posts and talking to the soldiers, then you could say that we are disturbing the work. But if we're standing here, at the side, not talking to anyone and not disturbing the work then we have every right to be here.
He: But I'm in charge and I say you are disturbing.
We: And we say we're not distubing!
This conversation went on for a few minutes, but we stood our ground, and after he had repeated himself about 5 times he saw that he wasn't making an impression on us. We said we would be leaving in about 10 minutes anyway, and he went back to his post.
The conversation had been polite without any voices raised on both sides.
The traffic in both directions was flowing smoothly. One taxi had been stopped coming out of Nablus and we waited until it went on its way.
16:00 Awarta
There were large stones partially blocking the road, but one lane was open for traffic.
We returned to Huwwara by driving through the village of Awarta.
On the suggestion of Nadim, who had done this route in the morning, we didn't continue to the western checkpoints.
They were all empty in the morning, and Irtah was closed.
16:20 Za'tara/Tapuach Junction
There was now quite a bit of traffic but it was flowing freely.
16:30 Marda
The east entrance to Marda was open, but there were two jeeps and a soldier standing in the entrance. A third jeep was standing at the side of the road about 200 meters further on. The west entrance was also open.
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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-RamatiApr-23-2026Awarta Checkpoint is empty
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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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