Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Mon 16.6.08, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
13.50 Shaar Shomron. We entered Palestine.
14.10 4 reservists stand on the two sides of the road about half a kilometer after Zeita and two kilometers before Za'tara. They say that this is a classified exercise. About 5 minutes away from there are two Hummers and regular soldiers.
At Za'tara/Tapuach are 6 cars in either direction. The dog is lying in the shade and not working because of the heat. The commander also says that there is an exercise today. Two soldiers who are checking cars do not stop us.
14.35 Huwwara.
In the isolation cell is a young man who tried to bypass the long line. The commander says that because of this he had to be in isolation. An old man has great difficulty walking and three relatives help him into a taxi which will take him to the checkpoint.
14.50 Beit Furik.
The checkpoint is almost empty and some people standing behind the turnstiles begin to move as we arrive. There are also few soldiers. The soldiers crowd around us including a new soldier who does not know us and the veterans tell him not to speak to us. The commander tells us to move back. We point to the flags of the women in blue and white, the military policeman has a little flag on her helmet and ask why they are not sent away. He says that there is a difference because we bother them. The new soldier says "In what way are they bothering us. They are not bothering me."
15.30 Huwwara.
Now there are two more men in the isolation who have also tried to bypass. I. the commander insists that they be punished for three hours otherwise it will pay them in the future to try to bypass. He insists on explaining to us that had they been the conquerors they would have thrown us into the sea. The centre says that he is allowed to keep them for three hours.
There are three checking posts for the men and the line is long and crowded. They pass through the x-ray device and then stop to put their belts on. Some take their belongings to the x-ray truck at the side of the checkpoint. There was no DCO representative at any time. Until just after 4.00 there was great pressure but after that the checkpoint almost completely emptied out.
At the entrance to Nablus cars were checked for IDs and permits but the passage was swift. At the exit cars went through with the usual checking with passengers alighting, checking their baggage and then going on their way. Cars take 2- 5 minutes depending on how many passengers there are. A loaded van takes 7 minutes besides the waiting to get to the checking area.
At the entrance to Nablus is a sign which says 'Thank you to Machsomwatch for their help, terrorist movements organization".
The soldiers say that the sign was hung by the women in blue and white, their flags are also hung there. We asked how it is that army property can be used for slogans of a rightist organization which is against the law and why we are sent back when there is no legal reason for this and we are doing nothing against the law.
17.10 Zatara. 21 cars. And at the entrance to Shaar Shomron are some Palestinian women.
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)
.Fathiya AkfaJun-16-2008Huwara: traffic jam on the main 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.Shoshi AnbarSep-27-2023Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
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