Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 28.11.07, Morning
Translation: Hanna K.
Summary: An enormous traffic jam at Za'tara/Tapuach. A disgraceful sanitary condition at the parking lot at Huwara. There is a crew of soldiers composed of yeshiva students who are not prepared to talk to us but there is an efficient and good activity of the DCO representatives at the CP. There is a visit of the head of the civil administration and the commanders of the DCO. Stone blockades: Zeita (road no. 5), Jinsafut , Azzun (road no. 60)
07:10 Zeita –
The exit from the village in the direction of road no. 5 is blocked with concrete square blocks – nothing new.
We noticed a group of soldiers near jeeps. Later we understood who they were.
07:20 Za'tara/Tapuach CP –
From the west there are three vehicles only, but from the north (Nablus) there extends an endless traffic-jam in two lanes. To our surprise, moments after our arrival there was a movement and a quicker checking process. Near the CP a third lane was opened. Its opening created a security risk for the cars driving in the opposite track, but the intolerable waiting-time in the critical morning hours became shorter. We therefore did not call the Center and/or the DCO and continued on our way.
07:40 Burin/Yitzhar Junction – the CP is not manned
07:45 Huwwara CP
In the pedestrians' area few people pass, but two lanes are open (the eastern and the middle ones) as well as the humanitarian lane. The x-ray screening maching is in action.
In the vehicles lane there are almost no cars, even from the North. Excepting one car whose checking took a quarter of an hour, there were no real delays in both directions.
The soldiers work quietly and efficiently, but the morning crew refuses even to answer our greeting (yeshiva students). Luckily the two DCO representatives T. and S. are present – they act in all the parts of the CP and came to our rescue when we managed to summon them.
The parking lot, next to the CP, is shockingly filthy. The dirt flows over everywhere. On the other hand at the CP area there is a cleaning man, and the area is indeed clean. When we tried to clarify the matter with the DCO representatives it also transpired that the toilets are out of order. The parking lot is meant to serve hundreds and even thousands of people, men, women and children, every day. Some of them, like the drivers, have to remain there for many long hours. The sanitary condition is unbearable. We have commented on this already many times.
08:35 Beit Furik CP
There are no vehicles waiting at the parking lot near the CP and from Nablus too there is no traffic. The pedestrians' traffic to is sparse, but slowly the stream grows. We stood behind the CP (as we were forbidden to approach the checking posts). Today there is a pleasant crew, especially the commander who came down to us to say hello. The CP was opened this morning at 05:00.
09:10 Back at Huwwara
There is still no pressure, even not at the vehicle lanes.
09:20 A car from Ramallah is ordered to return. The papers which the driver holds have expired two months ago. The two DCO representatives explain to him what he has to do and also to shorten the process by a coordination by phone between Ramallah and Huwwara.
An elderly sick women leaning on a walking stick and supported with difficulty by a young woman arrives from the south to the vehicle lane. We ask the soldiers to enable here to pass the sterile area by a car that has just now arrived. The soldiers refuse ("she can walk"), and turn their back on us. We couldn't refrain from remarking: "Both you and this woman were created in His image". Fortunately, the DCO representative arrived again and they arranged the transportation. Although this is what is expected from them – we thanked them.
09:25 An entourage of officers arrives at the CP. It turns out that this is a visit of the head of the civil administration, accompanied by Ra'ad, the commander of the DCO and other officers, including a photographer in civilian clothes. One of the people takes notes. They tour the CP and in the end alight next to us. We are happy to reply to the that it will be alright after the occupation, but under the present circumstances one has to be concerned with many things such as not to detain people beyond the most necessary minimum, but also with the following:
A. reasonable and humane humanitarian condition, such as – a clean parking and transportation area, toilets and drinking fountains in working order, a shed where one can hide from the sun and the rain. We suggested they should glance at the garbage dump,
B. One has to sharpen the soldiers instructions to pay good attention to humanitarian situations such as the case of the old woman of this morning. A local sweeping decision not to talk to us and not to listen to what we say (not meaning idle chatter, nor teasing, insulting or disturbing them in their work) does not prevent mistakes nor add to the honor of the Israeli Defence Forces.
09:40 A Palestinian who has been in prison and has been released turns to us. The papers he has are meant to allow him passage, but each time he gets to the CP – he is detained. We again called T. from the DCO and he suggested he should go to the DCO and ask for a certificate of acquittal which will take him off all the lists.
It was decided that if he shouldn't get this certificate he would come back to the CP and ask for DCO representatives. He has no phone. We took his details and left our telephone number with him.
10:00 we left the CP via road no. 60 to check the blockades.
The exit from the villages Jinsafut and Azzun to the road is blocked by square blockades.
At Funduq where yesterday afternoon there was a lively army movement and a road block, it is now quiet and open.
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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