Huwwara
Huwwara 9 July 2006 Watchers: Edna L., Yael B.Za’atra Roadblock7:45 a.mThere are 82 cars in the queue from the direction of Nablus.Huwwara Roadblock8:00 a.mThere is a particularly long queue of pedestrians (between 100 – 150 in our estimation). The explanation we are given is that what looks like the back of the queue, those outside the shed, is the crowd of those under 36 years of age and who are not permitted to cross.Beit Furiq Roadblock9:00 a.m. We drive to Beit Furiq due to a report from Naomi Lalo that a lorry driver in the queue at the roadblock contacted her to say that there are 40 cars in the queue and that cars are not being allowed through at all, only pedestrians. When we arrived the picture was different: there were nine cars in the queue (and after a number of minutes only three were left) and the inspections were carried out quickly. When we asked, one of the drivers said that previously the situation was as described but that it had changed.Back to HuwwaraThe crowding was as described. There was no ‘humanitarian lane’ for the elderly, women and children. That is because all of those crossing are over 36 years of age, explained a soldier.The soldier who talked to us immediately received an order to break off contact.Behind the roadblock a turnstile has been set up for those going to – without being checked – Nablus which, of course, set up another queue. The roadblock commander explains to us that the purpose is to stop people crossing from the opposite side.9:15 a.m.The roadblock soldiers received an order to ease the inspection ‘for a period of fifteen minutes’ (quote).Roadblock at the entrance to Yitzhar10:15 a.m.There are about twenty cars.Za’atra RoadblockThere are about seventy cars in the queue from the direction of Nablus and thirty five in the opposite direction. We called the humanitarian centre again.
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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