‘Awarta, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Thu 25.2.10, Afternoon
Tanslation: Hanna K.
Zeita – The eternal earth CP.
Za'tara – No delays.
Huwwara CP: The soldiers try to push us back from our regular place, but leave us alone when we ask for a decree in writing. There is no delay, no girl dog trainer.
Awarta CP: There is no delay. In a grove near the CP a few settlers are busy felling trees and loading them. At the shooting range nearby there is today an activity of soldiers shooting at targets.
The liaison HQ – the DCO (on the way to the village of Awarta): We meet Palestinians who come to request magnetic cards (for residents of Nablus) and authorizations to work in Israel and to support their families legally (a resident of the village of Ourif). The latter is prevented to do so for the last two and a half years, and he doesn't understand why and for what reason. "Prevented for security reasons" he is dismissed time and again. In the past he used to slip over to work in Israel, but now he is wary. He has three children. We gave him Silvia's telephone number.
Awarta: We didn't succeed establishing contact with our friend, about whom we reported regarding to pogrom which the army carried out in his house in order to guard the religious people who were destroying graves beyond the fence of his garden. We were offered tea and had a conversation with the owner of the grocery at the entrance the village and waited for the sudden rain shower to pass. He tried to make contact between us and the head of the village, but it was late and the "Baladia" (The town council) was already closed. "They close at 14:00". We received the name and phone number of the new village head. Next time we shall make an appointment with him.
The village of Odela: We went up by tortuous roads and arrived at the town council of Odela, the village which is between Awarta and Beita. Young men who were nearby asked us suspiciously: "why do you need to see him?" we tried to explain our purpose, and received the details of the village head. But again the head of the village wasn't there anymore. "He went to Burin". We returned to Huwwara via the almond and olive groves. Lupine flowers bloomed among them. Reflections: It is advisable to come to the village with a known address. Our arrival should be known, and there should be a representative like the village head or somebody on his behalf. We are in the stage of establishing connections, and this time we didn't succeed in meeting such people. But the the preparations were made.
'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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