‘Azzun ‘Atma, Huwwara, Sat 17.5.08, Afternoon
– to refresh the mind, Azzun Atma is trapped
inside the separation fence, between the settlements of Oranit, Elkana
and Shaarei Tikva – the settlement which, in order to "whitewash" it
and keep it within Israel proper, the village of Azzun was encircled by
the fence: a prison within a prison, a more correct term than "Seam
Zone enclave." To the north of it a checkpoint manned by the army, one
of the harsh "jewels in the crown." To the south of the village, an
obstacle of boulders close to Route 5, an apartheid road the use of
which is denied the Palestinians. Close to the obstacle on the side of
the village wait cars and drivers hoping to make a living from some
journey within the village or leaving the obstacle. The road is
seemingly open in the direction of Israel, but few dare take the risk
of encountering the ever present army patrols preying on Palestinians
without Israeli entry permits. The northern checkpoint is in the fence
that separates the village from close neighborliness with the villages
of Beit Amin and Sanniriya which traditionally were linked by work and
family relations. Only residents of Azzun or holders of special permits
may enter the village.
transport drivers, and stood a few score metres from the soldiers.
Azzun has less than two thousand inhabitants, and the checkpoint has
everything needed to prevent their entry or exit from home in the
village: many soldiers, a watchtower, cameras, turnstiles and a hut
housing a metal detector through which all must pass, including
pregnant women, toddlers and, in the ways of the Occupation, the most
marked targets are the young men. The sight of the check of the men is
a hard one. Even though the last army unit, known for its violence, has
been replaced – the checks that we saw do not proclaim a more human
checkpoint. The soldier, male or female, points a gun directly at the
man till he has finished raising his shirt and showing a bare belly and
back – and this before proffering ID cards, still with the rifle
pointed and before entering the metal detector hut.
likened to a web of closed off roads, requiring at the end of each a
turn back. Some of the hothouses and groves are working, but many of
the fruit trees are dying. People do not have the strength, and in any
case some of the lands belong to Beit Amin residents who can enter only
through the mechanism of agricultural permits.
Aadel Omar who died in Qalqiliya Hospital after being injured in an
accident. He was delayed two hours at a closed checkpoint despite the
agonised and desperate cries of his friends. In the article, Gideon
Levy wrote that after the incident agreement was reached to open the
checkpoint all hours of the day, but he was told that it closes at ten
pm, and remains shut till morning, and no one dares be late by even
five minutes after ten pm. From the people with whom we talked, they
clearly hunger after a listening ear, and our empathy and solidarity in
arriving there was most important. On March 1, Dafna reported that it
is possible to park close to the southern obstacle, after a short drive
from Kfar Qassem, and to reach the northern military checkpoint from
inside the village.
were burning field of wheat in Asira Qibilia. We did not reach the
village because of the potholed track, unsuitable for our car but, on
the way, we met passengers of a Palestinian Transit taxi, and one of
them told us that his son had put the fire out. The fire was perfectly
timed for the settlers, for this was just before the wheat harvest and
the milling of flour. A part of the "land grab" tactic… The following
is the testimony of a fireman from nearby Burin Fire Station about an
arson attack on wheat fields on Saturday two weeks ago, May 3. We
recorded our talk with him. A part of the testimony we heard in real
time at Huwwara Checkpoint, from people who had heard by phone from
their relatives in Asira.
had attacked Asira, burnt wheat and other things. We went to put the
fire out, and we had only just arrived when settlers and the army came
and shot at the fire engine.
There were five or six, maybe ten, dunams (two and a half acres) of
wheat and barley. We wanted to start extinguishing the flames, and were
caught (us, the firefighters) between the army and settlers on the one
side, and the people of Asira on the other. The latter throwing stones,
the former shooting. That's what happened…
knowing what to do. The army shot at us, and then took from us the
beaters and gave them to the settlers. The beater is what we use when
the fire engine can't get to the fire and we have to work by hand. It
is made of rubber with a wooden handle, and it prevents air getting to
the flames.
settlers. The settlers helped by the army. And the army did not drive
the settlers away, quite the contrary. Even the guards on the
settlements were shooting at us.
for ambulances – there were three wounded. They beat these three, and
literally smashed them. When the ambulance arrived, the soldiers sent
it back, wouldn't let it take the injured. Afterwards the DCO talked to
them (the soldiers) till they let the ambulance come and collect the
three injured.
around 17:00 – few people at the
checkpoint wanting to cross, and a parking lot full of taxis. A second
lieutenant tried to wreck Tamar's camera, and called a policeman. Both
eventually retreated when they were told that we would complain about
assault and an attempt to break the camera.[L]
'Azzun 'Atma
See all reports for this place-
'Azzun 'Atma
A Palestinian village of about 1,800 residents. The settlement of Sha'arei Tikva was established on its land adjacent to it, and the settlement of Oranit was established on its agricultural lands. By 2013, the separation fence had passed through the village and a checkpoint staffed by the army allowed the residents to cross from side to side. After building a massive wall surrounding the village and some of its agricultural lands, the residents went daily for five years to their lands that remained in the Seam Zone through the Oranit agricultural checkpoint (4). Since 2018 it has only opened during the olive harvest and the farmers have to pass daily at the Beit Amin / Abu Salman checkpoint (1447), about 3 kilometers north.From a report from March 24, 2021: "The farmers from Beit Amin and Azon Atma are happy that since February 21 the Oranit checkpoint .is going to be open 3 times a day, The farmers are really developing the place."
Report from July 14, 2024: "Ornit checkpoint is closed . The Beit Amin/Abu Salman agricultural checkpoint is closed (there is no contact with the military to check if it opens rarely), the Ezbat Jaloud checkpoint was opened once a day before the war.
Updated for July 2024
Apr-11-2019Azoun: The main entrance to village blocked now for several weeks
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Huwwara
See all reports for this place-
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)
.Fathiya AkfaApr-11-2019Huwara: traffic jam on the main road
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