Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sun 21.9.08, Afternoon
Tranaslation: Tal H.
Today is International Peace Day. It aims to encourage activity towards world peace and put a stop to violence of any kind (thus the website of Israel's teachers' association, the same teachers who have educated the checkpoints generation…).
Towards this noble cause, the new 'terminal' at Huwwara Checkpoint is being currently completed, at the expense of millions of NIS. The new checkpoint installation will offer the soldiers air-conditioned checking posts, secured windows with a tiny opening and a loudspeaker – for the welfare of the Palestinians, of course.
"This way, the soldiers will be less stressed and things will run more neatly", a soldier volunteers his explanation to us. The Palestinians, on the other hand, will have a shack roof overhead, and that's that.
Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. We were not born the same.
Huwwara At 15:15, unlike last week at this time, the checkpoint is nearly empty. About 20 young men awaiting inspection, the special side line flows uninterrupted with waiting.
Around 15:30 the lines become longer, perhaps because many more people begin to arrive, perhaps because one checking post closed. In spite of the relative calm at the checkpoint – the people still waiting in the shack after exiting the checks holding their belts and watches etc. are waved away with the familiar, dismissing gesture and the barking voices "Go on, shoo!!! Get away from here", "Go do that somewhere else" (referring to the men fixing their clothes again after having had to bare their bellies and remove their belts) – sending them to zip up their pants in front of everyone outside.
The inspections are totally at the whim of the individual soldier – sometimes a careful manual body search, other times – a dialogue one centimeter away, once crowding around a Palestinian with an especially interesting belt buckle, another time – someone's made to take off his shoes. During this shift, these are private initiatives on the part of the soldiers themselves, not the commander's policy.
Around 16:00 waiting time in the lines is about half an hour.
A fellow exits the checks holding a DVD player. As he already reaches the taxi park, two soldiers chase him. They forgot to take apart the player and check its entrails. The frightened young man is led back to the checkpoint. After some consultation he is sent to the X-ray truck, and after his ID travels from hand to soldierly hand, he is allowed to proceed.
A private vehicle is being inspected on its way out of Nablus. A mirror connected to a long metal arm is held underneath. Then all kinds of parts are dismantled – the spare tire, baggage compartment cover, driver and passenger head rests, all is taken apart and to be x-rayed. In the name of peace, naturally.
A "bingo" detainee (wanted list) awaits GSS instructions. Another taxi driver is detained for an hour because he entered the area of the new checkpoint in his car.
18:00 – about 15 people still waiting in three perfect single files, 4-5 cars waiting to exit the besieged city, no pedestrians waiting in the special side line, and the detainee will probably break his fast inside the concrete hold. We leave.
At Za'tara – Tapuach junction checkpoint – no waiting lines.
Beit Furik
16:50-17:25
The checkpoint at Beit Furik is open only for the residents of the two neighboring villages, and to honor the Ramadan, it stays open until midnight these days (thus spoke the CP commander).
About 20 pedestrians and a few cars waiting to exit bound for the villages. A commercial vehicle carrying three sheep is parked at the side – the driver and his passengers are detained. Their crime – traveling along the road (557) forbidden to Palestinians. They were caught by the company commander about an hour and a half ago and were led to the checkpoint to "do time" until 18:00. One of them kneels in prayer facing the concrete slabs.
Today's International Peace Day, remember?
Public bus line no. 101 to Alon More Colony flies along the road which the Palestinians are only allowed to cross at the checkpoint, and does not bother to slow down at the crossing.
It's not even a hot day. Just another sad one.
היום הוא "יום השלום הבינלאומי". יום זה נועד לעודד פעילות למען השלום בעולם ולהפסקת אלי
מות מכל ס
וג שהוא (כך
באתר הסתדרות מורי ישראל ששקדו על חינוך דור המחסומים).
למען מטרה נעלה זו הולכת ונשלמת בנייתו של ה'טרמינל' החדש בחווארה בעלות של מיליוני שקלים. במחסום החדש יהיו לחיילים תאים ממוזגים, חלונות ממוגנים ובהם אשנב קטן ורמקול – לרווחת הפלסטינים כמובן. "ככה החיילים יהיו פחות עצבניים ולחוצים ויהיה פחות בלגאן" מתנדב חייל להסביר לנו. לפלסטינים לעומת זאת יש סככה מעל הראש וזהו. חם בקיץ, בחורף קר, לא נולדנו אותו הדבר.
ב- 15:15 – בניגוד לשבוע שעבר, המחסום כמעט ריק. כ- 20 גברים צעירים ממתינים בתור הבידוק, בתור הצדדי עוברים ללא המתנה. בסביבות 15:30 התורים מתחילים להתארך – אולי כי רבים יותר מגיעים, אולי כי עמדת בידוק אחת נסגרה.
למרות השקט היחסי במחסום – הממתינים המעטים בסככה, אלה שנפלטו מהקרוסלות עם החגורה והשעון ביד נשלחים לאחור בנפנוף היד המוכר ובשאגות העילגות "יאלה יאלה כולכם רוחו" "יאלה יא שבאב, תעשו את זה שם בחוץ" – ומגרשים אותם לרכוס את המכנסיים לעיני הכול.
הבדיקות מתנהלות לפי גחמות החייל – פעם זהו חיפוש ידני מדוקדק על הגוף, פעם חילופי דברים ממרחק של סנטימטר, פעם התקהלות סביב פלסטיני שהגיע עם אבזם חגורה מיוחד, ופעם אחרת מפשיטים מישהו גם מנעליו. אולם הפעם אלה הם רק יוזמות פרטיות של חיילים ולא מדיניות מפקד המחסום.
בסביבות השעה 16:00 זמן ההמתנה בתורים הוא כחצי שעה. בחור יוצא מהתור עם מכשיר DVD. כשהוא כבר במגרש החניה מזנקים שני חיילים בעקבותיו. הם שכחו שהם צריכים לפרק את המכשיר כדי לבדוק את תוכנו. הבחור המבוהל מובל למחסום. לאחר התייעצות הוא נשלח למשאית הבידוק ורק לאחר שהת.ז. עוברת מיד ליד ליד – הוא ממשיך בדרכו.
רכב פרטי בבדיקת הרכבים היוצאים משכם. מראה מחוברת לזרוע ברזל נשלחת מתחתיו. אח"כ מפרקים כל מיני חלקים – גלגל רזרבי, כיסוי הבגז', משענות הראש של הנהג והנוסעים – הכל מפורק ונשלח למכונת הבידוק. לשם שלום, כמובן.
מעוכב BINGO!!! מחכה לשב"כ.
עוד נהג מונית עוכב לכשעה בגלל שנכנס עם רכבו לשטח המחסום החדש.
18:00 – כ- 15 ממתינים ב- 3 טורים ישרים, 4-5 מכוניות בתור היציאה מהעיר המכותרת, בתור הצדדי לא מחכים, המעוכב יסיים כנראה את הצום בתא הבטון. עזבנו.
בזעתרא – אין תורים.
בית פוריק 16:50-17:25 המחסום בבית פוריק פתוח לארבעת הכפרים בלבד ולכבוד הרמאדן הוא נשאר פתוח עד 24:00 (דברי מפקד המחסום). כ- 20 הולכי רגל וכן מספר מכוניות ממתינות ביציאה מהעיר לכיוון הכפרים.
רכב מסחרי עם 3 כבשים חונה בצד המחסום – הנהג והנוסע שהיה עימו מעוכבים. הפשע – נסיעה על כביש 557 האסור לנסיעת פלסטינים. נתפסו ע"י המ"פ לפני כשעה וחצי והובלו למחסום לרצות עונשם עד לשעה 18:00.
אחד מהם כורע להתפלל מול קירות הבטון. יום השלום היום, הזכרנו? אוטובוס 'דן' בקו 101 לאלון מורה דוהר על הכביש שלפלסטינים מותר רק לחצות אותו , וגם אז לא טורח אפילו להאט. אפילו לא חם היום, רק עוד יום עצוב.
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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