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‘Azzun ‘Atma, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 15.12.10, Afternoon

Observers: Julien S. (guest from France), Didika Y. (reporting)
Dec-15-2010
| Afternoon

 

Azzun Atma

We arrived at the checkpoint at 15:35 and stayed for about 10 minutes. Very few people entered and exited while we were there and some employers dropped off workers.

I am always touched by the little boy who sells the Turmus and refuses to take more money that what he is owed….

We drove to the disputed house near Elkana. The first gate leading to the service road was closed but the actual gate to the house was open, there was no one around to find out why.

Za’tara

We went through the checkpoint at 16:30. There was a very long line of cars coming from Huwwara.

Huwwara

We arrived at Huwwara at 16:35 and stayed for about 15 minutes. It was quiet and very few cars went through in both directions. Two taxis were held at the side of the road when we arrived but were allowed to proceed after 10 minutes. Three soldiers approached and the usual argument about whether we are allowed to stand near the checkpoint took place. The soldiers refused to accept that the checkpoint is not a military zone and therefore we have the right to be there. Since there was not much happening, we decided not to pursue the argument this time.

Mt Grizim

We drove up to Mt Grizim and went into Nablus through the checkpoint without being noticed. Usually in and out through this checkpoint is not an issue but this day we came back too late and found out that the checkpoint closes at 20:00. While we were negotiating our way out and held there for about three hours, one family from the Samaritan village was returning also from Nablus. They were only held for about 20 minutes since the soldiers know them but we did hear the commander telling his soldiers to make them wait for a while so that “they learn not to return late next time”.   

 

 

 

 

עזון עתמה

הגענו אל המחסום בשעה 15:35 ונשארנו שם למשך כעשר דקות. מעט מאד אנשים נכנסו ויצאו בזמן שהיינו שם וכמה מעבידים הורידו פועלים.

 אני תמיד נרגשת ממראה הנער הקטן שמוכר תורמוס ומסרב לקחת יותר כסף מכפי שמגיע לו…

 נסענו אל הבית השרוי במחלוקת ליד אלקנה. השער הראשון שהוביל אל דרך השירות היה נעול אבל השער אל הבית היה פתוח, ולא היה אף אחד בסביבה לברר מדוע.

 זעתרה/תפוח

עברנו במחסום בשעה 16:30. היה תור ארוך מאד של מכוניות שהגיעו מחווארה.

 חווארה

הגענו לחווארה בשעה 16:35 ונשארנו למשך כ-15 דקות. היה שקט ומעט מאד מכוניות עברו בשני הכיוונים. שתי מוניות הוחזקו בצד הדרך כשהגענו, אך הורשו להמשיך אחרי 10 דקות. שלושה חיילים התקרבו אלינו והתפתח הויכוח הרגיל אם יש לנו רשות לעמוד בקרבת המחסום. החיילים סירבו לקבל את הטיעון שמחסומים אינם שטח צבאי ולכן מותר לנו להיות שם. מאחר שלא התרחש דבר מיוחד, החלטנו הפעם לא לפתח את הויכוח.

 הר גריזים

עלינו להר גריזים ונסענו לשכם דרך המחסום מבלי שיבחינו בנו. בדרך כלל המעבר במחסום זה פנימה והחוצה אינו מהווה בעיה אולם היום הגענו מאוחר מדי וגילינו שהמחסום נסגר ב-20:00. ניהלנו משא ומתן כדי לצאת והוחזקנו שם במשך כשלוש שעות, משפחה מן הכפר השומרוני הגיעה אף היא משכם. הם הוחזקו רק כעשרים דקות כי החיילים מכירים אותם אבל שמענו את המפקד אומר לחייליו לגרום להם לחכות זמן מה "כדי שילמדו בפעם הבעה לא לחזור מאוחר מדי".

 

 

  

  • '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

       

      עזון: הכניסה הראשית לכפר עזון: חסומה כבר מספר שבועות
      Apr-11-2019
      Azoun: The main entrance to village blocked now for several weeks
  • 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)

      .
      חווארה: הבתים הישנים בשטח סי
      Shoshi Anbar
      May-18-2025
      Huwara: The old houses in Area C
  • Za'tara (Tapuah)

    See all reports for this place
    • 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.  
      זעתרא (צומת תפוח). שלטים
      Shoshi Anbar
      Sep-27-2023
      Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
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