Beit Furik, Beit Iba, Burin (Yitzhar), Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sun 13.4.08, Afternoon
On our way:
No detainees observed at the Shaar Shomron Crossing into the West Bank. Unless – unlike last week – they are now being held at some unseen spot.
At Za'tara/Tapuach Junction checkpoint – few vehicles crossing fairly quickly.
The entire village of Huwwara is under curfew, possibly because of an ongoing violent clash between local clans. We also heard a rumor that the curfew was imposed in view of the colonist demonstration expected to take place near the checkpoint. On our way back, several businesses were already opened, but most were closed and there were very few people out on the streets.
At Beita village (near Huwwara), according to Palestinians' testimonies, on Friday 11.4.08, Israeli army bulldozers blocked all entrances and exits 
of the villages Lower and Upper Beita, and the only route left open was from the main Huwwara road, and that too – half blocked by rubble and dirt. We photographed one of the four fresh road barriers between Lower Beita and Ussarin. Roads were also blocked leading to Aqraba, Majdal Bani Fadel and Duma villages. According to the local residents, a printed warning was posted up on the Mosque door informing them that anyone found removing any of the fresh barriers would be prosecuted. During morning hours, Border Patrolmen are said to be positioned by the barriers to prevent vehicles from bypassing them through neighboring olive groves.
In addition, we received information from Palesitnian cab drivers about some of the fifty barriers that the authorities have supposedly removed in order to relieve Palestinian movement in the West Bank:
- – A barrier declared removed south of the "Madison Route" (road connecting Huwwara Checkpoint and the colonies of Yitamar and Alon More, passing by Beit Furik Checkpoint) has never in fact existed to begin with – traveling this road in particular is forbidden to Palestinians, and whoever is caught driving on it, walking beside it or crossing it, even, is punished with at least three hours of detention at the checkpoint, depending upon the whims of the local commanders.
- – The barrier south of Road 505 (south of Usserin) was removed, photographed accordingly, and placed again a day later.
- – The drivers knew nothing of barriers north of Duma village, and east of Majdal Bani Fadel (Alon Road) that have supposedly been removed, or whose removal would make any difference or relieve Palestinian vehicular traffic in the area.
- – The same can be said about two barriers between Beqaot Junction and Hamra Junction (bound for the Jordan Valley) and another one east of Alon Road (508).
All Palestinian drivers we spoke with said that the 'removed barriers' issues is all a charade and a pack of lies.
Huwwara Checkpoint:
Commander- E., DCO representative – T.
All braced for the colonist demonstration expected to take place shortly.
15:30 – At the taxi park, the vendors lay out their goods on the narrow sidewalk – flower pots, shoes, vegetables, sweets and various soft drinks. Today they are not harassed by the army.
The pedestrian waiting lines are long and crowded, sprawling out to the edge of the shed. Checks proceed at a slow pace in the stifling heat. Youngsters report waiting half an hour to an hour. At the special side line, many women, children and men over 45 are checked. Checks of men in the turnstiled lines include removing their belts and any item that causes the metal detector to bleep. Still, the women MPs are quiet and checks are matter-of-fact. Anyone carrying a bag, bundle or briefcase is sent to the X-Ray truck and comes back for his/he ID.
A man is detained next to the concrete hold for an hour because his ID is suspected to be counterfeit. Later it turns out he presented a photocopied ID which makes him automatically suspect. A Palestinian tells us that this morning a soldier pushed an eighty-year old woman and she fell to the ground. The DCO rep. confirms having witnessed the incident.
16:14 – The officer speaks with the detainee and releases him. Some minutes alter another two detainees are held, one of them presents a photocopied ID.
16:19 On "Madison Route", from Itamar and Alon More, colonists, especially girls, are seen marching towards the Huwwara Checkpoint roundabout. They are escorted by an army jeep. At the Beracha hitchhikers' station about 100 colonists are crowded, surrounded by numerous soldiers, police and Border Patrol. On our way home we saw a similar crowding at the Yitzhar-Huwwara Junction, and a similar number of servicemen.
16:53 – the detainees are released. The waiting lines dwindle, but the special side line is full of women being sent off to the X-ray truck with even the smallest plastic bags, and coming back to pick up their IDs. After about 20 minutes this procedure is suddenly halted and the women all exit with their bundles directly into the exit lane.
Noa, videoing the demonstration from afar, is surrounded suddenly by three colonist boys who ask – in a hostile tone – for an explanation "how to become Arab-lovers". At the same opportunity they also want to teach her what the holy Torah says, and call her "bitch" and "you should be killed". The Palestinians say the demonstration is about a house that has been dismantled near Beracha colony. The demonstrators attempt to approach the Checkpoint, and a BP jeep prevents them from doing so.
They verbally assault the soldiers, and one young colonist is arrested and taken into a jeep while others push and scream. Two of the boys reach the Checkpoint and yell at us "You are Hitler and Eichmann", "The Almighty gave us this country, they have lots of countries"… They looked amok stricken and there was no point in talking to them.
17:13 – a total halt of proceedings at the checkpoint – "Life Freeze" procedure – is announced for Palestinians. Checking and passage are stopped as a soldier announces on the PA system "Everyone back! Life freeze!" Soldiers push Palestinians back into the taxi park.
17:25 – the demonstrating colonists are returned to the hitchhikers' station and the checkpoint reopens for Palestinians.
17:50 – procedures running smoothly. Very few people remain around the turnstiles. Waiting time is down to half an hour. Women rapidly pass through the special side line.
18:15 – At Burin/Yitzhar-Huwwara Junction, a large group of colonists standing by the roadside, surrounded by army and police cars.
On our way home we were informed on the phone about several detainees at Beit Iba Checkpoint who were released only after being held for four hours.
Beit Furiq Checkpoint 17:00
Observers: Galit G., Judit B., Tal H. (reporting)
"Hey, what's up? Why didn't you bring us coke?" one of the soldiers shouts as a greeting.
Few cars waiting to be checked outbound from Nablus.
No detainees. The usual trickle of pedestrians at this time.
The commander – just like two weeks ago – uses his rifle scope to observe people treading the fields in the direction of the neighboring village.
A driver talking to our driver is a reason for the commander and another soldier to wave him off and cut off the conversation.
17:45 – We head back to Huwwara.
Beit Furik checkpoint
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One of the three internal checkpoints that closed on the city of Nablus - Beit Furik to the east, Hawara to the south, Beit Iba to the west. The checkpoint is located at the junction of Roads 557 (an apartheid road that was forbidden for Palestinians), leading to the Itamar and Alon Morea settlements and Road 5487. The checkpoint was established in 2001 for pedestrians and vehicles; The opening hours were short and the transition was slow and very problematic.Allegedly, the checkpoint is intended to monitor the movement to and from Nablus of the residents of Beit Furik and Beit Dajan, being the only opening outside their villages. Since May 2009 the checkpoint is open 24 hours a day, the military presence is limited, vehicles can pass through it without inspections, except for random inspections. (Updated April 2010)
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Beit Iba
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A perimeter checkpoint west of the city of Nablus. Operated from 2001 to 2009 as one of the four permanent checkpoints closing on Nablus: Beit Furik and Awarta to the east and Hawara to the south. A pedestrian-only checkpoint, where MachsomWatch volunteers were present daily for several hours in the morning and afternoon to document the thousands of Palestinians waiting for hours in long queues with no shelter in the heat or rain, to leave the district city for anywhere else in the West Bank. From March 2009, as part of the easing of the Palestinian movement in the West Bank, it was abolished, without a trace, and without any adverse change in the security situation.
Jun-4-2014Beit-Iba checkpoint 22.04.04
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Burin (Yitzhar)
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Burin (Yitzhar)
This is a Palestinian village in the Nablus governorate, a little south of Nablus, on the main road passing through the West Bank. The settlements: Yitzhar and Har Bracha, settled in locations that surrounded the village, placed fences so it is cut off the main road.
There are around 4000 inhabitants. Most of them are engaged in agriculture and pasture, although many graduates of the two secondary schools continue to study at the university. Academic positions are hardly available, they find work as builderd, or leave for the Gulf countries.
The village lands were appropriated several times for the establishment of Israeli settlements and military bases, and as a result, Burin's land and water resources dwindled. lSince 1982, more than 2,000 dunams of village land have been declared "state land" and then transferred to Har Bracha settlement.
Over the past few years and more so since 2017, the villagers have been terrorized by the residents of Yitzhar and Har Bracha, the Givat Ronen outpost and others. Despite the close proximity of soldiers to an IDF base close to one of the village's schools, residents are suffering from numerous stone-throwing events, vehicle and fire arson, also reported in the press.
In 2023, the prevention of the olive harvest in the village plot was more violent than ever. Soldiers and settlers walked with drawn weapons between the houses of the village and demanded that people stop harvesting in the village itself and in the private plots outside the village. The settlers from Yitzhar and Giv'at Roned raided the olive groves and stole crops. 300 olive trees belonging to the residents of Burin, near Yitzhar, were uprooted. The loss of livelihood from the olives causes long-term economic damage to the farmers' families, bringing them to the point of starvation.
(updated for November 2023)
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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.
Shoshi AnbarSep-27-2023Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
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