Hawwara & Beit Furik
Huwwara, Beit Furik, Wednesday 2.11.05, AMObservers:Ilana H., Tushka K., Nina S. (reporting)A slightly softer routine today. Passage is “free” in all directions and no special restrictions are imposed. No car queue at Tapuach, a few cab drivers detained at Huwwara.7.50 Tapuach Junction – The place is being covered by aspfalt in all directions and there are no cars waiting. As per the soldiers, all can pass in all directions, subject to the regular limitations.8.10 Huwwara – No restrictions on passage. 2 cab drivers in the detainee enclosure. They passed the line and got near the CP, nearer then is allowed! Later 3 more drivers were detained, No, they are not detained only stopped “for ID checking”. There are Border Police soldiers at the CP. They help checking the passing cars but mostly hunting the cab drivers that pass the “line”. Our nagging to let them go did not produce results, but we were promised they will be released soon. The first was there for over an hour, the second one less, and so the others that were stopped later on. There are very few passer going south and a nearly normal flow of passing going into Nablus.An Israeli bus arrived with pilgrims of the Greek Orthodox Church from the US and Canada. They were told at their Jerusalem centre they can pass but this was not so. Telephones to their centre and the army Public Complaints Office did not help and after 2 hours it was clear they cannot pass. They decided to change buses and try going in a Palestinian bus. We did not stay to see what happened.8.50 Beit Furik – The CP is quiet, passage, after being checked, is free for all. The commander is not friendly but is polite. Things have gotten to the point where even politness is important to note.9.10 Huwwara – a young person is detained, he is wanted. After he is hand cuffed, he is being bodily searched while one soldiers points a gun at him, as if he could do something!. After a while his mother arrives and takes his shopping, he must have understood he will not be home soon.On the way home the village of Huwwara is milling with people, quite unlike other days we have been here. Must be in preparation the Id El Fitr that starts today. This was also the reason for the great pressure felt yesterday at the CPs that were quite unprepared for it. They thought all this will happen today. Could they not find out and get ready?????10.50 Tapuach Junction – 6 cars waiting from the south passing quickly.
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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Ronit Dahan-RamatiAug-24-2026Huwara: The school on the outskirts of town and an outpost hidden among the trees
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Jerusalem
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The places in East Jerusalem which are visited routinely by MachsomWatch women are Silwan and Sheikh Jarrah. During the month of Ramadan, also the Old City and its environs are monitored.
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