Huwwara
Huwwara 25 July 2006 Watchers: Ninette B., Aharona B., Nurit V., and Dina A. (reporting)Apparently the general situation is causing apprehension among the residents and very few people leave Nablus throughout the shift, however, there are quite a few people entering Nablus, it seems that those who don’t have to, don’t cross.There are, comparatively, many young people among those crossing or trying to cross.Za’atra Junction (Tapuach)7:45 a.m. On Road No. 5 not one vehicle is queuing, from the direction of Nablus there are about 24 cars which cross quickly.There is another roadblock on the way to Huwwara, Borin roadblock (Yitzhar Junction) which has become troublesome, it is always crowded.Huwwara roadblock7:55 a.m. There are about 30 people in two queues at the exit from Nablus, the humanitarian queue is also open for women, children and men with children. The humanitarian queue is open throughout our shift.There are also few cars leaving Nablus and they are checked quickly, 7 cars are at the exit mainly taxis, most of the time there are two checkpoints for cars and a crane which makes things easier and quicker, there is a hold up from time to time, when a dog handler and her dog check a taxi.At the entrance to Nablus there are throngs of people all day, from time to time a jam occurs at the entry turnstile.Very few cars enter Nablus, an ambulance with a sick child on board, crosses the roadblock sounding its siren.8:30 a.m.There are only four cars at the exit.A., the roadblock commander, reports that today too male residents of Nablus between the ages of 16 – 35 are not permitted to cross.Many young people are given the normal inspection accorded to adults: shirt raised; belt opened; trousers turned up and then, after the honour, sent back to Nablus.When we go round the market and taxi area of the southern roadblock the drivers say there is no work and complain about the roadblock at Borin Junction which makes things very difficult for them.8:45 a.m.An Israeli ambulance arrives and waits near the roadblock, a few minutes later an ambulance arrives from the direction of Nablus, siren sounding, overtakes the eight cars in the queue and, back to back, a baby attached to an oxygen cylinder is moved from one ambulance to the other and the Israeli ambulance leaves in the direction of Israel. We did not manage to find out to which hospital the baby was taken.9:00 a.m.There are about 59 pedestrians waiting to exit, the checking is fast and the humanitarian lane is open.9:10A new phenomenon is revealed to us today.We see two detainees aged 20 and 29 in the hut, they are residents of villages on the outskirts of Nablus and they are on their way home.9:15 a.m.The number rises to three detainees.9:30 a.m.There are six detainees and within a few minutes another two join them.9:35 a.m.6 detainees are released.We left for Beit Furiq to find a roadblock deserted by people coming and going, only soldiers at their checkpoints.9:50 a.m.We return to Huwwara, there are 12 young detainees; all aged between 20 – 35, all of them residents of villages on the outskirts of Nablus and all of them released after no more than half an hour.We find out that the hold up is because they do not believe that the young people are residents of the villages and not of Nablus because this age group is not permitted to leave Nablus, and their documents might be forged, thus they are checked. A new style of harassment. 10:30 a.m.We leave. There are twenty two cars in the queue at Borin Junction and it takes longer to cross because there is only one checkpoint.Za’atra (Tapuach) Junction: there are fifteen cars in the queue from the direction of Nablus and three on Road No. 5.
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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