Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sun 7.9.08, Afternoon
Translation: Tal H.
Tapuach-Zaatara Junction Checkpoint 15:00
Empty of cars in all directions.
Huwwara Checkpoint 15:10
Checkpoint commander – Lieutenant Emek, DCO representative – Tarek.
3 active checking posts, active x-ray truck.
Such crass, hostile and aggressive tones resounding from soldiers to Palestinians – we have not met here for quite a while, with the commander as their ongoing source of inspiration.
Upon our arrival, 3 detainees for trying to pass a car-engine part outside the checkpoint. This is prohibited by the army. They tried to bypass the CP and were caught. Two are released but without the part. To Noa's question about the fate of this part which they need quite urgently, the Checkpoint commander answers: "Save your questions for Passover".
An elegantly-dressed elderly man tells us that he always crosses the checkpoint in the special sideline for women and elderly persons, but today the soldiers checking his ID detected a Machsomwatch calling card… and therefore sent him to stand in the younger male pedestrian waiting lines…
The commander and his soldiers in like manner, chase away any Palestinian daring to stand in the shade of the sheds after exiting the checks or in the shaded former detainee pen, with loud, gruff shouts of "Get out of here, go on!!", incessantly.
Two Palestinian policemen have a problem: Their driver is being detained in the concrete hold as a "wanted" man. They explain he was released from Israeli prison two months ago and ever since, every time he approaches a checkpoint, his name comes up in the wanted men list. The DCO representative claims this must be arranged between the Palestinian and Israeli DCOs, there is nothing to do but wait.
16:10 – one of the three detainees (with the car part) is still in the hold.
A soldier tries to chase Noa away from the observation point across from the vehicle checking post. The commander arrives and joins in the fun:
Noa: "I am not disturbing you."
Commander: "You disturb me by being here."
Noa: "So, shall I vanish? I've been standing here for five years now."
Commander: "Go ahead and live here in a trailer."
Beit Furik Checkpoint 16:40
Rapidly moving pedestrian checks, 5-6 cars waiting in line to exit Nablus.
The soldiers do not acknowledge our presence, conveniently for us.
The taxi drivers inform us that no relief is felt regarding family visits to their village during Ramadan – the usual restrictions are all enforced.
17:30 Returning from Beit Furik, we still hear the same crass shouts throughout the checkpoint compound; the detainees are gone, turnstile lines nearly empty.
18:15 – Tapuach Za'tara Junction checkpoint:
40 cars waiting to continue south bound, 15 north bound, even west bound traffic is being checked.
At the exit from the territories, Shaar Shomron Checkpoint – 6 detainees with their back to the traffic. We call the army hotline to request speeding up their release.
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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