Huwwara, Wed 4.6.08, Afternoon
Translation: Tal H.
14:07 – Huwwara Checkpoint
A taxi driver says he's been detained for three hours. The reason – having parked his taxi where he was not allowed. The checkpoint commander E. claims this jeopardizes the soldiers. He said he would release him at 15:30.
Two active checking posts, few pedestrians.
A sergeant popped up from nowhere, turned to us in a revolting manner and ordered us away from the checkpoint. "This is a sterile place", meaning the spot where we always stand.
Shalva replied, "Let the officer tell us to leave". He said the officer isn't the one in charge, and concluded with "Get the hell out of here…" He was also very offended because his "polite" request amused me. Some minutes later he turned to us again and said, gruffly: "You're still here??!" I said we always stand here. Shalva said we're not going anywhere and if he wants to summon police, "We have a right to stand here and you have a right to summon the police".
Then he gave up and said he did not mean to summon the police and that this could be resolved differently… Finally one of the soldiers gripped his shoulder and moved him away.
Eventually Shalva approached the CP commander E. to remind him of the detainee and to say goodbye. She asked him about the person who had questioned his authority. E. explained that person was merely someone who was there to repair the turnstile.
Apparently anyone in uniform thinks he can order us around as if we were his subordinates.
Due to personal constraints, our vigil was especially short.
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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Fathiya AkfaJun-04-2008Huwara: traffic jam on the main road
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