Huwwara, Za’tara (Tapuah), Wed 28.11.07, Afternoon
Natanya translating.
14.30 At Zeita
We stopped to speak to a group of Palestinians who were gathered next to the 4 cement blocks which closes the entrance. They say that the entrance to cars has been closed for a month and is only possible from the direction of Huwwara. We spoke to a man from Marda where there are no medical services and so he has to get to Zeita. The detour is long and so he comes to this point from where he will be collected by a van to go in. They are angry and desperate. They don't know why it has been decided to block the entrance.
At Za'tara there are about 13-14 cars from the south.
14.40 Huwwara.
At the entrance there is an enormous sign concerning the demonstration of the rights against the meeting in Anapolis. The soldiers have been reinforced probably because of the political developments and all the posts are manned. The lines are long but go through fairly quickly. The women's line is very crowded and a girl who is not feeling well is brought out by two of her friends.
15.30 A man of about 50, heavy and breathing and shivering is brought by soldiers to the isolation. He seems to be sick and the commander says that he is only pretending because he has been caught for the second time "running." The efficient DCO representative, R. advises them to free him even if there is only the slightest possibility that he really does not feel well. The commander grumbles but does so. He says to us with poison in his voice that he hopes that we are satisfied.
Then the soldier detainee a young man whom they said has a forged ID.
15.40 A young man tries to pass with a handwritten note in Hebrew. This is the young man who is always detained because of the last numbers and sometimes it takes hours until he is freed. Some days ago a soldier had written him a note so as to make it easier for him but it does not help and once more he waits for the secret service.
Ecumenical workers tell us of improvements on the other side….railings between the lines and the division between men and women is also clearer. They say this does make things easier.
15.55 Beit Furik.
Almost empty. The commander insists we move beyond the white line which is far off and there is no point in our standing there so we go back.
16.05 Huwwara
The Ecumenical workers say that while we were gone there was a serious fight amongst some Palestinians youths which ended in the soldiers priming their weapons and threatening to shoot. One of the men, his face covered in blood, is pushed into the isolation but freed after a while.
15.40 Two detainees are still held and wait for the police and the secret service. We cannot help and leave.
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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