Beit Furik, Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 31.10.07, Morning
Translation: Rachel B.
Summary: A lot of pressure at Za'tara, the usual scene at Huwwara, 2 detainees held for punishment, orders prohibiting us from standing at the checkpoint area at Beit Fureik.
Beita 7:00 AM
The entrance is closed. Vehicles are scattered on the side of the road.
Za'tara -Tapu'ach Junction 7:10 AM
More than 30 vehicles are waiting in the line coming form the north. We called the DCO twice asking for assistance. The checking through at the location went along very slowly.
Yitzhar Junction: open in all directions.
Huwwara: 7:30 AM
When we arrived we saw a small group of people (10-15) in the pedestrian lane. Two stations were open for processing plus a "humanitarian" line.
In the vehicle lanes: from the southern direction- empty. An ambulance with its siren blaring arrived very fast and was not stopped. From the north there are a few cars waiting for short periods. This was the case throughout our stay here.
The checking through went on smoothly and quietly. The office in charge, N., is up on everything and answers questions politely and is responsive to our requests. There is also a representative of the District Coordination Office on hand, T., who takes care of the situation of a young man who has lost his ID card. Lo and behold! The ID card was found.
The parking lot is very full and very dirty. The area of the checkpoint is clean.
Beit Fureik: 8:45 AM
At this hour the traffic is fairly heavy, both pedestrians and cars. But there are no particular delays in checking people through, except for one truck which was waiting on the side when we arrived and was only released at 9:12 AM, after examination of the driver's identification documents.
The army unit on location prevented us from getting close to the checkpoint area and the turnstiles, citing security concerns, which seemed rather doubtful. We called the District Coordination Office and were told that they are aware of this but do not have the authority to change this policy. Only the Battalion Commander and/or the Brigade Commander do.
The Deputy Company Commander arrived. We took advantage of the opportunity and had a thorough conversation with him and asked him to work to change this policy{of preventing us from entering the checkpoint area} after giving him background information about our organization, our philosophy, the nature of our work and the importance of a civilian eye watching over the army for a democratic country and for Israel's reputation in the world. The conversation was carried out in a friendly spirit and he listened carefully. It ended with his promise to pass along our request and have it looked into. We gave him a MachsomWatch business card and recommended to him that he visit our website.
Huwwara: 9:40 AM
Normal traffic without any particular pressure. Relatively low flow of cars in either direction. At this hour, only one position is open for checking pedestrians through plus, in addition, a humanitarian line. A young man who speaks Hebrew approaches us. His request for an entry permit in order to go to the hospital with his son has been denied once. He was told to come back to the District Coordination Office. We advised him to go back to the District Coordination Office and gave him Sylvia's phone number in case he is refused the permit again this time.
9:55 AM: There are 2 detainees who were put in the holding pen by a soldier staffing the checkpoint in order to punish them and with the threat that they will be held there overnight. Dalia managed to figure out what had happened: the two men had been fighting – apparently about their place in the line. The soldier decided that they are interfering with his work. We requested intervention by the District Coordination Office representative and also asked the checkpoint commander {to address this}.
10:10 AM: We left the checkpoint when the two men were released.
Za'atra – Tapu'ach Junction
Fewer than 20 cars in the line from the north. A slight improvement.
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.
Ronit Dahan-RamatiJun-9-2026Za'atara (Tapuach Junction). The Temple Flag Above a Station
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