‘Awarta, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Thu 26.5.11, Morning
Translation: Aliyah S.
9:30 Za'tara:
There was heavy traffic from Nablus going south, but there was no checking of vehicles and the traffic was moving smoothly. There were some soldiers in the center space, but we didn't see any checking.
I asked Nadim what his ideas are on the Palestinian initiative to declare an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and if he believes in a "two state" solution to the conflict. Nadim is not optimistic. He doesn't hold out much chance for the success of the "2 state" idea. He does not believe that the Palestinian initiative will bring about the desired outcome for the Palestinians. With the current Israeli government he sees nothing to hope for. He even envisages a world war erupting from the conflict in our area.
9:45 Huwwara:
The road into and out of Nablus was open. There were no soldiers in sight
10:15 Awarta:
We decided to return to Awarta where we had interviewed several men after the murders in Itamar, and after 5 days of closure by the military. Now after two months we wanted to see if things had changed there.
First we interviewed some taxi drivers at the entrance to the village. They complained that there wasn't much work. We were told that 30 men from the village are still being detained although no one knows why. One driver's son, 16 years old, was still in detention, for two months, and the family had not visited him. They really don't know where he is or what is happening to him. They believe the men are being held at the nearby military base.
The relations with the settlers are as bad as ever. As the taxis pass on the road there are settlers who throw stones; one driver's window was broken by a stone. The drivers claim that the police know who the culprits are but do nothing. In February one driver complained to the police in Huwwara. He claimed that the stone throwing was endangering their lives. The Israeli police have told the drivers that if they can't bring in a suspect then the complaint is simply filed and nothing is done about it. We asked them about their ideas on the "two state" solution, and the Paletinian initiative. Their answers were very lukewarm; they don't have much hope for it, especially with all the settlers.
In the village we went back to the workshop (for changing vehicular oils) that we had first been to. The same men welcomed us back with tea and stories. Just the day before several farmers had gone to work their land. On their way, on the road to Yanun, settlers came to the road and threw stones at them, then the settlers stole a donkey. There was a military jeep nearby but the soldiers did nothing, and then they left. The farmers couldn't get to their land but they did get the donkey back.
There are many stories about the harassment and the stealing that the settlers perpetrate. The sheep that are owned by the settlers in Itamar are regularly grazed on Palestinian land belonging to the farmers in Awarta. The sheep eat the young growth on the trees of Awarta. This is the same area where some time ago two children from Awarta were killed. A settler was arrested but nothing came of it and he was released. The settlers say that because of this the Fogel family was murdered. Just then a man about 40 years old walked up to Nadim's empty car. He stuck his head in through the open window and shouted something incomprehensible to no one. This man had been arrested and during his detention he had been hit repeatedly on the head. Since they released him he has acted strangely and in an uncontrollable manner.
Also here we asked the men what they think of the plan to go to the UN for a declaration of a Palestinian state. "What's the point," they said, "with all the settlers here." "It's the idea of the Fatah." Again we met with a rather pessimistic reception of the idea. Then another man walked in, sat down, said hello all around and asked what the discussion was. He launched into a heated speech, after which Nadim argued with him; then the others joined the argument. We couldn't understand anything, and they were so into the argument that we couldn't stop them for translation. Finally, Nadim gave us some idea of what was being said. This man was definitely against the idea of two states. He had some very good points as to why it would never come into being. He is in favor of one Palestinian state with citizenship for all the people, Jews and Arabs and anyone else.
On Monday evening, 30.5.11, there was a discussion at the Coalition of Women for Peace with Tamar Gozansky arguing for "two states" and Sahar Francis from Adameer, arguing for one state for all its citizens. A very lively and loud argument ensued. Both Israelis and Palestinians, Jews and Arabs, are very much divided on this issue.
'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-RamatiMay-26-2011Awarta: a long line of cars
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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)
.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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