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Za’atara Huwwara

Observers: Shosh Z.,Jehudit L.
Jul-13-2006
| Afternoon

Za’atara, Huwwara, Thursday 13.7.06 PMObservers: Shosh Z., Jehudit L. (reporting)Translation: Hanna K.14:00 -Near the Industrial Area Barkan, behond the bridge, 25 labourers walk on the two sides of the Apartheid road, probably returning home from work for the weekend14:15 Zaatara – there are not many detainees, three cars coming from the West, nine from HuwwaraHuwwara – there is no curfew [we were told there was no curfew]Burin CP [Yitzhar] – there are 26 cars from Nablus and the Jit Junction14:25 Huwwara CP – Men aged 16-35 from Nablus are prevented from passing. There are two queue near the turnstiles and a humanitarian queue for women and children and elderly men, the queue is opened at short intervals.At the turnstiles two soldiers are checking papers. A corporal check is done by lifting the shirt and the trouser rims, every shopping bag is checked meticulously. At the humanitarian queue the checking is sporadic. There are two detainees [who are sitting already for 10 minutes] – because they didn’t walk on the allowed road. 14:45 -There is another detainee and a friend who joins him. The detainee, from the village of Rougib, tried to pass through another road and was caught. In the detention shed there is a 15 year old child who passed at the CP with propaganda cassettes, his friend tells us that he too has such cassettes [he says the child sells such cassettes] . A woman officer drives Shosh away from the detention shed area and forbids her to talk with the detainee. He sat there crying. 6 cars are counted in the direction of Nablus, and a similar number is seen coming from Nablus. Most cars pass quicker than the queues at the detention shed. There is one hour and a quarter waiting time at the shed as compared with a much shorter waiting period at the car queue [or the minibuses or busses] where bodies, papers and bags are checked as well. It is better to pass by car than by foot. On the road intended for cars coming from Huwwara [which is empty most of the time] we saw a woman, coming from Nablus, accompanied by two men. The woman walked with difficulty and was supported on both sides. The soldiers showed consideration, checked the papers and let them pass. A short distance from the detention shed the three separated and each walked away on his way. A young man, a peddler at the market came to us [from the market] and said that a security guard soldier took his papers away. The soldiers saw him talk to us and called to him. The commander talked on the phone – and then the lad returns to the market, tells us that his papers will be returned to him. The commander explains that a few days ago the lad was seen leaving the queue under suspect circumstances, the commander knows him, he investigated about him and it became clear to him that there is no reason for suspicion. The security guard soldier at the market remembered the lad and didn’t know that investigation about him was already conducted. Two women pass at the improvised queue [the road leading to Nablus, intended for cars, which is empty most of the time] one looks very weak and is sustained by the other. The soldiers show consideration, check the papers, when the women pass the CP they separate.16:20 Beit Furik – very few people and cars at the CP. At the parking lot taxis are waiting.16:25 -At the Huwwara CP the first detainees were released. Then the boy was released from the detention shed.16:50 Burin CP – there are 12 cars17:00 Zaatara – there are 22 cars coming from Huwwara, 24 coming from the West. There are no detainees.

  • 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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  • Jit Junction

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    • The checkpoint is located on Route 60 near at the junction with Route 55, near the village of Jit. There was a checkpoint for vehicles passing between the north and south of the West Bank, which was abolished towards 2010. Since then, surprise checkpoints have been set up there from time to time with a police or Border Police vehicle, and vehicles and their passengers are inspected.

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