Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 25.3.09, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
14.20 The Za'tara crossroad.
A Palestinian car stands at the side of a police car.
3 cars from the direction of road 5 and 20 from Nablus.
14.30 Huwwara.
3 checking posts, no pressure of traffic and few pedestrians. The reason being the opening of the checkpoint at Beit Iba and the taking down of Sara. The flowers pots disappeared and later F., the DCO representative explains that 6000 shekel had not just been thrown away and had been used for another purpose. Two soldiers guard the other side of the cage
There are two detainees. A military policeman asks us why we stand in the sterile area of the checkpoint, and tells us to read the page of "explanation".
We ask him how many detainees there are and he says that there are two taxi drivers,. I asked why and he said ,"You must be new here if you do not know why" and turned his back on us and walked off. And I was left with the question and wondered which of us was the new one.
Racheli asked the Palestinians about the man who had been shot yesterday at the checkpoint. One tells us that he went with his telephone at his waist and earphones to his head and the soldiers had thought that he was carring an explosive and so had shot him in the stomach, Afterwards we learned that it was a man of about 25 – 27 from Jamaiem and that he is a stonecutter by profession and that he had hold chisel in his hand. The soldiers thought that it was a knife and had shot him in the stomach. The man was badly hurt and is hospitalized in Bellinson, in Israel.
15.00 About 10 cars from Nablus stand and wait while the dogtrainer sends the dog into the baggage compartment of a car at the side. The search ended, the driver got his ID and turned his car around and went back to Nablus. About 30 cars wait to enter and suddenly all are told to reverse so as to let two cars go out from the west of the entrance….wierd.
15.30 About 30 religious guests from the pre-army academy at Sadeh Boker arrive.
The soldiers sent us all to the side of the checkpoint because we blocked the entrance to Nablus and they set and listen to Racheli telling about MachsomWatc.
At one stage F., the DCO captain arrived and so the explanations of Racheli stopped and F. explained the point of view of the army.
At one stage there was a dialogue between Racheli, F. and some of the girls until F. had to leave and Racheli continued. It was a very frustrating meeting.
17.30 The crossroads of Za'tara about 15 cars from Nablus.
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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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Za'tara (Tapuah)
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Za'tara (Tapuah) Za'tara is an internal checkpoint in the heart of the West Bank, at the intersection of Road 60 and Road 505 (Trans-Samaria), east of the Tapuah settlement. This checkpoint is the "border" marked by the IDF between the north and south of the West Bank, in accordance with the policy of separation between the two parts of the West Bank that has been in place since December 2005. At the Za'tara checkpoint, there are separate routes for Israelis and Palestinians. In the route for Israelis, there are no inspections and the route for Palestinians inspects. The queue lengthens and shortens suits. The checkpoint is open 24 hours a day. The checkpoint is partially staffed and the people who pass through it are checked at random.
Shoshi AnbarSep-27-2023Za'atra (Tapuah Intersection). Signs
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