Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Mon 1.10.07, Morning
Translation: Suzanne O.
Za'atra
7:30 a.m.
A bus from the west is being checked, behind it there are 12 vehicles waiting in the queue.
To the south: two taxis are detained. According to the passengers: one since 5:00 a.m., and the second one for about the last 20 minutes.
We went up to a soldier whom we mistakenly thought was the roadblock commander; he claimed that he could not talk to us. The commander, Y., explains that the taxis did not wait their turn. When we ask if they are being punished – he denies it.
7:50 a.m.
The driver of one of the taxis is carrying four teachers. He comes over to us: he wants to take the teachers to school and is prepared to return to the roadblock and stay there for as long as necessary. After a few minutes the driver and the passengers have their documents returned and they go on their way to school.
There are about 20 vehicles in the queue south.
Huwwara
The roadblock is empty. Later in the shift a few people arrive now and then. The humanitarian lane is open.
A Palestinian explains to us that the low number of those crossing is due to the closure.
8:20 a.m.
There are two women with a baby in a buggy accompanied by an elderly woman who stumbles along. They are on their way to Nablus. They ask if they can cross to the left of the roadblock. The soldier agrees to their request after they plead and try to explain the reason they want to cross here. However, before he lets them cross he checks their baggage. So that they do not enjoy the treat he gives them by letting them cross here? Or, maybe, the fact that they want to cross this way, rather than through the turnstile, makes them suspect?
8:35 a.m.
A Palestinian who needs to renew his vehicle licence wants to go into Nablus, but he is not permitted to do so because his licence is out of date. We approach the roadblock commander, Y., who agrees to our request that he talk to the driver, and allows him through.
9:00 a.m.
From time to time just a few people cross the roadblock. A larger number of pedestrians cross into Nablus. The turnstile holds up those leaving Nablus to an extent, and again we ask: if the army is sure that there is some need for inspection and the turnstiles are necessary – why did they only put in one turnstile?
We left the roadblock for Beit Furik. It is quiet there, very few people at the roadblock, no movement of vehicles.
9:15 a.m.
We left the roadblock.
Beit Furik checkpoint
See all reports for this place-
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)
-
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)
.
Shoshi AnbarMay-18-2025Huwara: 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.
Shoshi AnbarSep-27-2023Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
-