Morning
Bet Furiq – Keif Harit – HuwwaraObservers: S. M., M., D., S.G.9.15 Zaatara (Tapouach) – a long line of vehicles, mainly lorries.9.30 Road to Yzhar – cars and lorries are allowed through with permits. A group of about 12 people, including an over 50 university teachers and 3 women is being held in the sun on the side of the road. They were taken trying to bypass the checkpoint beyond that road. Soldiers said they had been there for 1/2 hour, the people said between one and two. Their ids, without permit, were taken away. The one responsible for the checkpoint (Michael) promised that the jeep was coming soon to return them. On the other side of the road- a small tent for checking women, and a woman soldier. Huwarra 10-12. – there is no closure – the rule of- men 16-35 only with a permit – is kept rather strictly; wherever and whenever Ofer was around cases which were not clear cut were usually decided on the more lenient side. On the other hand, a young man was being kept handcuffed, and passage became very slow when offer was not around.Huwarra south and north – a new group of soldiers that came only last Thursday – basically civil to the Palestinians, not fast enough in handling the ID control and check-in, and afraid to make any decision in cases which are not clear cut. More soldiers on the southern side, fewer on the northern one.Huwarra south – at 10 more than 60 people, mainly males, mainly younger; Ofer came at around 10.30 and people started to get through much faster. A large group of students were allowed to pass with student cards only when Ofer from the “civil (military) administration’ came. Students whose home was in Nablus but their university in Ramallah were not allowed to go back home, even though it is the Ramadan period.-most of the “special cases’ were given passage. Women – both young and old – were let through with ID checking only.Ambulances, lorries etc, most of the time, let through quickly. A lot of taxis waiting just beside the checkpoint to take people going from Nablus to Huwarra and farther.Difficult cases:A young man from the open university of Al Quds in Nablus was kept handcuffed from round 8.30, left to sit in the sun, and not released when we left. Through S.’s mobile he got in touch with his family, with Hamoked etc. His version, as understood by S., he was handing in his ID when he realized he had money in it, and fearing that it would be stolen he asked to get it back – the soldier refused, and when he tried to grab it he was pushed back, tried to hold on to something , then taken by a group of soldiers and handcuffed. The soldiers’ version – when there were too many people around they called for everyone, including he whose ID was being checked, to go backwards. he refused ,and tried to grab a soldier’s rifle. he was handcuffed. The soldiers said they intended to hand him over for investigation. but it seemed much more like a punishment procedure. Later, his mother and grandmother came to talk with the soldiers and plead with them to release him. At 3.25 he was officially detained and taken from the place blindfolded. Another young man came to look for his and his father’s IDs. he said that 4 IDs were taken from people sitting in a coffee house in Bourein by soldiers from a passing jeep. Ofer promised to take care of that and get them back by the next day(as apparently they were taken by soldiers from another battalion), and allowed him to go into and out of Nablus for 2 hours.Northen checkpoint – Fewer soldiers and a somewhat rougher atmosphere. Old men as well as women of all ages, with and without children were made to wait and their belongings were thoroughly searched, until Ofer came. taxi drivers who got to close to the checkpoint, in an attempt to get more passengers , were punished by taking their Id and car keys for a few hours
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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