Huwwara, Sat 15.3.08, Morning
Translation: Suzanne O.
Dialysis at Huwwara roadblock:
Mashur R., aged 40, was given three kidney transplants in Jordan (his mother's, his sister's and his brother's). Unluckily for him, they were all rejected therefore he has to go to the hospital in Nablus every Thursday and Saturday for dialysis.
On Thursday, 13 March 2008 he found himself on the list of those wanted for interrogation by the Shabak, and so was jailed accordingly in the cell at Huwwara roadblock. After he had been detained for an hour the duty officer at the DCO told me on the telephone that there is nothing that can be done, the man is urgently wanted for interrogation "and he will have to go through the process". I asked him to inform them that Mashur needs dialysis and has the necessary medical documents. In a conversation with the head of the Nablus DCO, Raad, I found that he already knew of Mashur's medical condition and he promised that a doctor (military) would be present during his detention and interrogation; that is all that he is able to do.
During the conversation what we know of the physical and mental characteristics of a Shabak interrogation was mentioned, that it is not humane and raises many doubts, and whether such an ill man can undergo them, even in the presence of a doctor. After a short time Raad informed me that it had been decided not to detain Mashur but to give him an appointment to come for interrogation when he feels better.
When Mashur reached the roadblock at Tapuach Junction, he was again taken from the vehicle and held for about an hour, after which he was released to go home.
On the appointment is says:
Top Secret
An appointment for the date
Name: Mashur R., I.D. No…… has an appointment with Captain: Shukri, at 10:30 a.m., at Kalkilya DCO.
Date 12.3.08
On the following day Mashur attended the meeting punctually. After an agonising wait he was told that the meeting with the captain would not take place today. He asked for that to be written down and, on the appointment sheet, there is a handwritten note in Hebrew only:
The above came to the Ayal delegation but Captain Shukri asked for him to be given an appointment for another day. Date: 12.3. signed and franked by major Sharif Abbas, Ayal delegation commander.
Captain Shukri asked for him to be given another appointment – without a date and without a time. Meanwhile the soldiers act according to the security directions from on high.
On Saturday, 15.3.08 Mashur once again went for dialysis in Nablus and on completion of the treatment returned home in an ambulance. At Huwwara roadblock, with the note from the Shabak and the permits for his medical condition, he was taken from the ambulance and locked up in the cell. After he had been detained for over an hour, he phoned me, I phoned the DCO in Nablus and one of their representatives was immediately sent to release him. It turns out that the letter he showed the roadblock commander regarding his appointment with the Shabak captain "is not sufficient for the soldiers at the roadblock, they act according to the security directions from on high and it doesn't matter what is written there". When I asked that he not be detained a further hour at the Tapuach roadblock I was told that "if they detain him at Tapuach phone us and then we will deal with it. It is not possible to phone up front".
From now on Mashur will go to the hospital in Nablus via Huwwara roadblock every Thursday and Saturday for dialysis at 9:00 a.m. and return between 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. and he will be detained and put in the cell. He will be arrested. We will phone the DCO and he will be released, or not. Until Captain Shukri of the Shabak finds the time to see him.
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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