Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Fri 26.12.08, Morning
Translation: Hanna K.
08:45 Za'tara – There are no cars.
Beit Furik:
Our first visit at what used to be a bi-directional CP and is now a potential CP. Our eyes withheld cars coming and going without hindrance; the closed pedestrians-passage; the new tower which were erected at each CP…this doesn't deter the soldier whom we approached to scream at us the eternal sentence: "you disturb me in my job!!!!! Oy Oy, their work was shown by one political act as senseless… (perhaps today, the second day of the Whirligig of Forged Lead or as Daniela London wrote: "The Feast of the Kitchen" was the CP potential activated again)
Huwwara:
The occupation economics must adapt itself to the capricious reality that the Authority creates. This time the taxi drivers which found work under the former CP rules, are now unemployed – cars that do not belong to Nablus are allowed to leave Nablus with passengers (and why are the inhabitants of Nablus not permitted to leave with their own cars?). The new situation mocks our economy of compassion. The drivers tell us that they heard that from the beginning of the year there would be no more checks at the CP – like at Beit Furik.
The parking lot is without peddlers, but a few hundred meters further on there is a luncheonette (at the entrance to the DCO) for a Jewish public only. At the new and elegant terminal there are few people who cross over – it is cold, there is a drizzle and it is Friday. A gentle friendly soldier shows us the facility intended for detainees: "they have air, they can sit and talk one to the other… believe me, their condition is better than ours." The military policewoman cannot believe that he bothers to talk to us…immediately we are sent away beyond the red surface on which the CP stands. "This is your new white line!!!"
The cars leaving Nablus are checked in the fashion of Za'tara, the people are not made of leave the cars, and only the papers are checked. The x-ray machine stands ready for action. There are no dogs.
Everything is potentially ready to be what was
Za'tara:
There are few cars passing, some are checked, some of the taxis are sent for a thorough check at the parking lot. There a dog is waiting. Some of the taxis undergo the sniffing procedure, some have only the papers checked.
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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