Huwwara
Huwwara, Thursday, 27.04.06, PMObservers: Lirit L., Dorit H. (reporting)Translation: Hanna K.The “differentiation” is still in force. The Left Bank is torn to pieces, the legitimate citizens of the country are imprisoned, robbed and chased. And the Israeli army – they ascertain with firmness and proudly, that every order given shall be carried out.15:10 Za’atara Junction CP –20 Palestinian vehicles coming from the West are waiting in the queue. Perhaps they will be allowed to pass this CP and to go on, to the next CP. In the vehicle queue of cars coming from Nablus there are 25 vehicles waiting, for another check in a row of endless checkes which they have already been subjected to in the CPs on their way here.15:15 Beita village – The village is “closed in” by enormous earth mounds which the army has heaped there, and by military vehicles which stand there. Nobody is allowed to pass in either direction. There is no traffic to be seen.15:20 The town of Huwwara –Here too everything is closed. Everything. Closed. Apart from the cars of the settles and military vehicles which speed on the road, one doesn’t see a sould. From time to time a Palestinian taxi, which managed to pass the previous CPs, passes here, on its way to the coming CPs. We drive slowly, hoping to see with our eyes a sign of life in this place, one inhabitant of the town. Nothing. Everything is closed and locked. A military vehicle is parked at the roadside, with a few bored soldiers in it. When I ask the soldiers in the vehicle “why?” one reacts with a look blazing with hate and a movement of the mouth that almost ends in spitting. The second informs me authoritatively and self-importantly that there is a “curfew” here and that “there is an “operation”.15:25 -A rolling CP immediately before the junctions from which one turns in the direction of Yitzhar – here there are 40 vehicles waiting. They too wait for another “checking” slow and causing despair, in a long row of checkings which they had to undergo until they arrived here.15:30 Huwwara Juncion – There are very few Palestinians at the CP. Almost no queue. The result of the CPs, the blockings, the closures and the many curfews are very clearly seen. The “separation” policy is implemented meticulously, and of course, on top of this, all the 15-30 year olds, who become suspect by force of their age alone, cannot leave in any direction.The soldiers are relaxed, are checking quickly, sing from time to time at the top of their voices the songs of their unit. The fences closing the Palestinian pedestrians are already completed, and they march slowly between them. The settlers on the other hand, continue walking around the junction freely and fearlessly, as there is a military vehicle positioned next to every hitch-hiking stop guarding them too. To the big concrete wall which delimits the entering and exiting of the Palestinian cars at the CP a clearly visible decoration has been added: three big posters featuring the Rabbi of Lubavich’s face, and they announce joyfully that the Messiah has arrived, and is already here. We nearly cry, in view of all this joy.At the pen, there is one detainee, who has been waiting for an hour and a half for his ID to be checked. A quarter of an hour later the soldiers receive a “reply” concerning him, and he is released.In the “women’s checking cell” a young Palestinian is held. According to the CP commander M. her arrived at the CP to give himself up, and is now waiting there, handcuffed of course, for the Security Services to come and collect him. During our stay at the CP the commander M. brought him, at his request water and food.The vehicle traffic in both directions is very sparse.16:00 -An elderly man who has tried to by-pass the CP, is sent to the “sewage pit”. The soldiers “bring him up for checking”. An hour later he is released.17:45 The Beit Furik CPAgain those horrible order which we heard at the other CPs: Separation+the 15-30 age-group. Here too there is a very sparse traffice both of cars and of pedestrians, and a very quick checking. The CP commander tells us that he is using his judgement and that special cases “humanitarian or a wedding for instance” are allowed to pass.18:10 – a rolling checkpoint immediately before the junction from which one turns to Yitzhar – is still in the same place. About 20 vehicles are waiting.18:20 Za’atara Junction CP – from the direction of Nablus there are 4 vehicles waiting. From the west – there are 25 vehicles waiting.
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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