Eliyahu Crossing, Huwwara, Ma’ale Efrayim, Salfit, Tayasir, Za’tara (Tapuah), Sat 29.10.11, Morning
Natanya translating. .
9.55 Salfit checkpoint.
2 soldiers at the checkpoint. No traffic. A car which arrived going into Salfit passes through immediately without papers being checked.
10.10 The checkpoint at Za’tara/Huwwara
A border police jeep is parked there. We do not see soldiers. There is much traffic. At the southern entrance to the village of Huwwara a police car with a policeman stand with his weapons. He does not stop or delay anyone. In the village life goes on as usual.
10.50 Ma’ale Efrayim checkpoint. No soldiers.
11.12 Hamra/Beqaot checkpoint. 6 soldiers with one female soldier.
From the direction of Nablus, a small truck and on it an enormous load of feed.
The driver and the passenger on the heap show their documents and pass through.
4 cars arrive. The soldier signs to them to pass through and they do so one by one.
11.20 A taxi arrives with 5 passengers who alight. 11.22 they leave with their belts in their hands as usual. The taxi went on and did not wait for them.
11.21 An private car with 4 passengers passes through at 11.23
11.25 A taxi arrives and passes collecting all those waiting.
12.05 Tayasir checkpoint. 2 soldiers in their booth and there is little traffic.
12.40 Hamra/Beqaot. Workers on foot pass through to the west.
One truck passes without being checked.
An ambulance of the Red Cross and two cars pass through. There are no delays today.
From the west comes a car which is checked by 3 soldiers and passes through immediately.
13.15.Ma’ale Efrayim. Empty
13.25 At a vantage point over Efrayim is an army jeep with 3 soldiers. A group of motor cyclists stop to admire the view.
Za’tara/Tapuach checkpoint is empty of soldiers and the jeep that stood there has left.
14.00 Huwwara checkpoint. No soldiers.
14.10 North Huwwara Next to road 55 are border police and their jeep. A small taxi and a truck were stopped and so we stopped too.
3 border police next to the car and one with his weapon drawn.
One passenger has been taken from the car and the other two speak to him.
One of the border police writes down the details of the passengers.
14.22 …….??? Who is on the road goes into the middle and stops another taxi.
A young boy of 11 who was walking in the northerly direction is commanded by the soldiers to cross the road and not to come near (to a closed army area?). The road is very busy and what if he does not know how to cross alone but he does as he is commanded and gets across safely.
14.26 Another taxi is stopped.
14.28 A jeep of the border police arrives, looks at what is happening and goes on in the direction of Huwwara.
14.32The first car is sent on its way after 22 minutes and also the truck.
It seemed to us that this was a routine check so we went on our way.
We passed Yitzhar, Gilad's ranch, Ramat Gilad, Jit, Al Funduq…..no army presence anywhere along the way.
15.00 TheEliyahu crossing.
There was hardly any traffic and we passed through quickly.
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing
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Eliyahu CP (109) / Crossing This checkpoint, also known as the Fruit Crossing, is one of the main checkpoints between Israel and the West Bank. It is located on Route 55 between Alfei Menashe and the turn to Qalqilya and Zufin, more than 4 km east of the Green Line, in the separation fence, which separates Qalqilya from its lands to the south, thus leaving Alfei Menashe West of the fence - the Seam Zone. This checkpoint, a few kilometers across the Green Line, is intended for "Israeli settlement in the West Bank and the population of the Seam Zone." It is managed by a civil company. Palestinians with a special permit for their lands in the seam area are also allowed to pass through it, on foot, and sometimes by car.
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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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Ma'ale Efrayim
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Ma'ale Efrayim On the road connecting Route 90 (the Jordan Valley road) to the Allon Road.
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Tayasir CP
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Located on road 5799, It is one of the checkpoints control the passage between the northern West Bank and the Jordan Valley. For a long time, it stood empty and open, with only a sign next to it warning against entering Area A. It was adjacent to an old military camp - now everything is neglected. How much money was invested here, and how much brainwashing was done to the soldiers of Netzah Yehuda and Kfir.
Today, it is very difficult to pass there. Many delays. Often, teachers from Tubas are not allowed to pass into the Valley to villages like Ein al-Bida where the local schools are located, and there are no classes. There are additional days when the checkpoint is closed. In general, there is a wait there of about two to four hours to go towards the Valley and also to return. Many times the Palestinians are forced to use the Hamra checkpoint, which also leads into Tubas and the West Bank, but there is also a huge queue there and a long wait.
Following a deadly attack on soldiers at the nearby base in February 2025, the checkpoint was completely closed for the time being. (Updated March 2025)
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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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