Beit Furik, Hamra, Huwwara, Ma’ale Efrayim, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sun 16.5.10, Afternoon
Translation: Tal H.
This shift took place out of our usual schedule and not in our usual format:We combined it in a special tour we conducted (privately financed transportation) for a visiting couple from the US, friends with close and deep ties to Israel who have not been here for the past decade and very much wanted to be updated – which they were, indeed. The special tour focused especially on the Jordan Valley, with the help of Palestinian activists to witness the desperate contrast of water usage by the green settlements with their hothouses and prosperous fruit groves side by side with their Palestinian neighbors living in miserable plastic and tin shanties, kids playing out in the baking sun of the area, to see the fresh mud and stone construction of houses in hamlets demolished time and again by the occupation authorities just as in the unrecognized beduin villages of the Negev, naturally under the infamous pretexts of the Area C formalities, understanding through seeing the spread of the various zones, that have already been annexed de-facto between the road and the river – that whole settler strip, fertile and tempting, into which the Palestinians are no longer welcomed, and so forth. We did not actually get to hold a normal MW vigil at the Jordan Valley checkpoints: our guests are elderly and not used to this climate and the day was long and strenuous. Still, they got a very precise idea of what the restrictions are, and even 'enjoyed' a fleeting check by an Israeli civilian police patrol that took the trouble to check us out when they saw us parked at some junction, including looking up my ID on their computer once they spied my MW tag.We got a glimpse of Hamra Checkpoint from above, while we visited with the B. family,surrounded and suffocated by the checkpoint, an army base, and three Jewish settlements, the family whose houses are repeatedly demolished, who has to purchase water and power at exhorbitant prices elsewhere while the grid passes right next door, whose livestock are welcome to graze… practically inside its home. Everything else is out of bounds. Za'tara Junction checkpoint 12:45
Freely moving traffic, no detainees. We did see dog trainers and their proteges hanging out in the checkpoint compound.
Beit Furik Checkpoint 13:00
No soldiers nor checks observed.
Huwwara Checkpoint 13:15
We were not bothered by the soldiers, nor did we see any checks during our brief presence on the spot.
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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Hamra (Beqaot)
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One of the Jordan Rift Valley checkpoints that prevent direct transit between the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, in addition to Tayasir Checkpoint. Located next to Hamra settlement, on Route 57 and the Allon Road.
Read about the peple of the Jordan Valley and the quiet transfer happening there.
Shahar ShilohNov-3-2021Ein Shibli: grazing begins close to home
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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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Ma'ale Efrayim
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Ma'ale Efrayim On the road connecting Route 90 (the Jordan Valley road) to the Allon Road.
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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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