Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), יום ש’ 24.1.09, בוקר
Translation: Suzanne O.
Atara
There is no roadblock. 'Monitoring the situation' is done by the regular coffee vendor who, without the usual queues, is practically unable to make a living.
Za'atra
There are a lot of cars both from the north to the south and from the west to the east. The inspection is cursory and the traffic moves quite quickly. Bus passengers alight in the vicinity and undergo a thorough inspection. The abbreviated lists of course cause long delays. Some of the soldiers are reservists who are still 'learning' the profession and this causes still further delays.
Huwwara
The queue of cars from Nablus is 'as long as your arm'. We climbed the hill leading to Har Bracha and, from there, saw that there were at least 50 cars in the queue, but it is more than likely that there were more. According to our calculations the crossings took over three quarters of an hour. The inspection itself took about five minutes. The pedestrian crossing, not the one via the 'humanitarian', took about half an hour, via the 'humanitarian' just a few minutes.
A Palestinian policeman is locked in the detainees' hut. We were opposite the car check point and discovered the man from the movement of the soldiers around the position. We were able to make out a soldier kicking a bag lying on the ground near the position and saw the guard standing with his weapon at the ready opposite the opening. It was difficult to decide whether our telephone calls did the business, but immediately after we had complained twice the man was released. We were now 'honoured' by a visit from the roadblock commander, a polite 2nd lieutenant, who demanded that we move away to the place where it was agreed we are permitted to stand. We refused, without getting into an argument, and suggested that he call the police. This all took place in a 'pleasant' atmosphere without anyone raising voices or becoming irritable. The officer left and after a while sent the DCO representative to us who warned us that if we didn't move the roadblock would be closed. We were not impressed and didn't move – and nothing happened. 'Normal' life continued and we performed our task.
Groups of taxi drivers gathered at the crossing after the turnstiles leading to Nablus trying to drum up business before people reach the car park at the northern side of the roadblock and they tried to involve us in disputes between them and between them and the army. We again spelt out that we are unable to intervene in their internal disputes.
The market is growing – although all on barrows which can be moved away quickly.
The issue of the beating at the roadblock of a few days ago still arouses strong feelings among the people and the victim's brother related the incident to us in great detail.
Beit Furiq
Nothing to report, apart from friendly waves from the passing cars. What horrendous scenes of suffering we have seen there over the course of years – incredible.
Huwwara
The queue of cars is still very long and movement very slow. There is no change at the pedestrian crossing.
It is fortunate that a short woman like me does not have to cross the roadblock because it is doubtful if I could raise a bag to the soldier's window sill. The picture of men emptying their bags onto a small area at an unreasonable height is as humiliating as it could be. Every piece of underwear and every other intimate article lying there on the window sill at an unreasonable height and accompanied by the screams of the female soldiers – 'the texture of life' is totally amazing. Is there no end to the humiliating inventions? Obviously – actually why obviously – the men get dressed on their way out of the roadblock. We are all spectators to the removal of belts, the undoing of trousers to tuck in shirts, the zipping up of flies – and all, all in front of the world and its wife. Dreadful!
The shift began at 6:30 a.m. and returned at 12:00 p.m.
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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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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