Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sun 4.11.07, Morning
Translation: Suzanne O.
Za'atra Junction
8:00 a.m.
There are four cars in the queue from the west.
There are no cars waiting from the direction of Nablus.
Beit Furiq roadblock
8:20 a.m.
There are four cars in the queue.
Very few people cross.
Huwwara roadblock
8:40 a.m.
There are some 50 – 60 people in the shed.
There are three checkpoints and three queues. One of those crossing complained that the middle position did not function for about half an hour and the whole middle queue was forced to wait until it was re-staffed (this situation will be repeated later on).
9:30 a.m.
A Palestinian asked for our help: his friend, whose documents were taken away from him on 28 October at the Tulkarm roadblock, has been given an appointment at Huwwara DCO in respect of the matter. However, because he has no documents he is not allowed to cross. We approached T., the DCO representative and, with his aid, the matter was resolved and the man was permitted to cross.
The Military Policewoman at the centre position left again and, as already noted, the middle queue was brought to a standstill. Edna approached the roadblock commander (with whom until now, in spite of the fact that we had gone over to him, we were unable to communicate) and he stated that the policewoman had gone to check something regarding a Palestinian who was crossing, and that we are just interrupting their work and so on and so on. He sent us to stand behind the distant white line. We refused. A short time later he appeared in the company of the Military Policewoman and claimed that this is the third time he had demanded that we withdraw to the distant line, and if we do not the policewoman with him will drag us by force because he "does not touch women", and of course while the policewoman is busy with us she cannot move the queue and so, again, the Palestinians are the hostages in the argument with us and because of that – we give in.
10:10 a.m.
A man who crossed after a long wait in the queue complained to us: he had surgery a month and a half ago and he has a hospital appointment in Ramallah at 10:30 a.m. He tried to explain this to the soldier but he sent him away and did not even permit him to speak to the roadblock commander, therefore he is late and may miss his appointment. The man is resentful (and rightly so) and wonders whom he can approach, whom he can lay a claim against (ha, ha) and why is it we can't help (and we aren't able even to begin to help, since he is at the end of the queue at the other side of the roadblock and we are unable to move).
10:30 a.m.
A loud argument with a lot of shouting goes on between the Military Policewoman and another soldier. I heard the same policewoman previously ordering a Palestinian to "shut up!".
Summary
Our visit to the roadblock is never a picnic but today it was particularly infuriating and annoying. Once again we realise that the roadblock commander is key to the atmosphere and running of 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
-