Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 26.12.07, Morning
Translation: Suzanne O.
Summary: A jam of tens of vehicles at Za'atra/Tapuach, the police are carrying out a ‘hunt' of Palestinian drivers. Slow inspection and long hold ups for vehicles at Beit Furiq. At Huwwara it is routine, particularly because of the assistance of the DCO. At Huwwara there is an ear splitting squeal at the turnstiles.
Za'atra/Tapuach
7:20 a.m.
There are 13 vehicles from the west, a huge jam of 70 – 80 vehicles from the north even though there are three inspection lanes. There is a new unit here.
A number of vehicles are turned back which raises the question as to whether there are traffic limitations. We could not ask the team so we called the Centre. The answer was negative, but regarding the first car we were told that its driver tried to by pass the queue. We did not see it but, at any rate, turning cars back is an act of punishment. After it has been held up for a long time already the police then stop it at the u-turn. Again a long hold up ending with a fine. After that the police stop almost every Palestinian car, those coming from the south as well, particularly private ones and give out fines. It is a ‘plague' day. On our way to Huwwara we contacted the Centre again about the huge jam and asked for a DCO representative to be sent there at once. We also complained about the police assault.
Borin/Yitzhar Junction
It is unstaffed but we notice another police car lying in wait for Palestinians. On our way back we saw the police car in action. As we said, it is the police day. We warned Palestinian drivers so that they could pass the warning on to their friends.
Beit Furiq
8:00 a.m.
There is a new unit here too.
There are 15 vehicles in the queue in the car park.
The inspection in the vehicle lanes is agonisingly slow. Only one lane is functioning. The two soldiers inspecting take a break after almost every vehicle entering the checkpoint. The driver is asked to turn the engine off at a decent distance from the soldiers, get out of the vehicle, do the ‘belt dance', and then the soldiers accompany him to the vehicle to inspect it. This is the first time we have seen such a practice at Beit Furiq.
At the pedestrian lane the roadblock commander only allows one person at a time to cross the turnstile. To effect this he puts a soldier to guard the turnstile in spite of information he got from a taxi driver and from us that there is an excessive queue of cars at the upper car park. Our repeated request, from a distance, to talk to him is disregarded, he does not turn us down rudely, but says, when the pressure dies down he will come over to us, but how can the pressure end if the work is inefficient? We calculated that the last car in the car park would take at least an hour to get to the roadblock…
We called H. and R., from the DCO but were forced to leave a message. Finally we were forced to call DCO HQ and asked for someone to be sent immediately to help. We were told that they are aware of the situation and they will try and that the unit is new. That's the problem.
(H., only got back to me in the evening and apologised for not picking up the message. He said that he had been at the roadblock and will see that the soldiers get further training.)
Huwwara
9:00 a.m.
When we arrive the traffic is fairly heavy at the pedestrian crossing in the direction of the exit, but there is no pressure. Two checkpoints function. The DCO representative, A., tells us that it had been very crowded earlier in the morning but he had helped the new soldiers to clear the queue. According to him the roadblock commander really cooperates with him. He added that because of the festival season, Muslim and Christian, there are less personnel at the DCO, therefore the roadblocks are not staffed continuously in spite of the fact that a new unit has started its tour of duty.
At this time the car lane is clear, within a few minutes a car arrives. It is inspected slowly. A taxi is held up for 15 minutes. A dog handler is present and the x-ray machine is functioning.
9:30 a.m.
A very elderly woman is taken out of the queue and to the inspection/detention cubicle. We ask the soldier standing outside what is going on, but he has no idea. A., from the DCO is not in sight to check it out. The woman is released immediately following a body inspection. Her expression says it all.
The turnstiles (the magnometers?) at the roadblock unceasingly sound an unbearably loud squeal- really good for those crossing the roadblock, but also for the good of the soldiers working there for hours. Have the IDF not heard of the irreparable damage caused to ears. This is not the first time we have come across this, but complaints should be laid again.
Borin/Yitzhar Junction
10:15 a.m.
The roadblock on the way to Huwwara is staffed. When we left there were two cars in the queue. In addition – a police car waits around the corner.
Za'atra/Tapuach Junction
10:20 a.m.
There are a number of cars queuing at the roadblock.
The end!
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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