Huwwara north & south
Huwwara Monday PM, 27.12.04Observers: Miki S., Hagar K., Deppie B-Z., Anat D. (reporting)Again, light traffic and a small number of detainees. The easing of restrictions on passage are in place and noticeable, although also here they are not prepared for election day. For a change, the atmosphere is relaxed.14:45 Huwwara junction: we counted 17 cars waiting.Huwwara NorthIn accordance with the easing of restrictions, the number of detainees was few. All were young men, between the ages of 14-24. Two of them were found on the GSS blacklist, and were thus delayed until further instructions. Most of the time we spent there, the checkpoint commander, A., and the DCO representative, H., spent in entertaining” talk with the usual coffee seller at the checkpoint, Mohamed, who has been trying for a week to get a permit to upgrade his trade of drinks salesman to porter (transferring packages on a wagon). The salesman, a young man 31 years old from Balata refugee camp, is the father of 3 children, and does not make enough money from selling coffee at the checkpoint, so he is trying to find an alternative profession, more profitable. The commander totally refuses and the DCO also has not complied with his request According to the army, since he is from Balata, the granting of such a permit would be a high security risk. Meanwhile, he keeps trying. Perhaps someone can think of another creative solution?Huwwara SouthSimilar situation. The soldiers and the commander, D., are working efficiently and politely; there are 2 young men in the detention shed, who were released quickly.At our arrival, we identifed 2 women from far away who were standing on the other side of the checkpoint (on the parking lot side). At first, we were concerned that they might be “Blue and While” women but, after a while, one of the women approached us and introduced herself in English as an international observer from an organization called “CIPP”. They are French and know about MachsomWatch. They will be reinforced on election day.
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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