On the way to Huwara along Route 60 many army and police forces
All of Pharaoh’s chariots, horses, and soldiers were driving along route 60 today. Even at the beginning of the journey near the Cinimateque in Jerusalem any car whose driver appeared to be anything but Jewish was stopped and checked. The result was a huge traffic jam. A rock was evidently thrown at a bus at Hizma Checkpoint last night and every car was stopped. “Where are you going?” “Your ID please.” I explained that I was going to visit a friend and was asked where she lives. I avoided answering. “Why don’t you take a passenger?” As we were talking a young girl approached and asked for a ride to Ophrah. I reluctantly agreed. The position at Binyamin Gate was manned by three soldiers with drawn weapons prepared to shoot across the road.
At the junction to the settlement of Assaf there was a commotion due to a traffic accident in which people were injured. There was an ambulance, police cars, and a lot of soldiers. At the Shiloh Junction there was a temporary checkpoint and cars with Palestinian license plates were being checked. Settlers’ cars , soldiers, and I were allowed to pass without delay. At Tapuach Junction it looked like a war was about to break out. There were a lot of soldiers who were armed and running about with protective gear like busy ants. At Hawara there were many soldiers and army vehicles scattered along the road. Of course, at the entrance to Yizhar and the Gilad Farms there were police cars and an army jeep. On my way back at 14:00 there was less commotion. A
t Loven Al Sharliya another temporary roadblock was being set up. The soldiers claimed “It’s all routine.” But for the Palestinians it was not merely routine. During the half hour that I was there every car that was coming from the West and wanted to drive along Route 60 was checked. Two cars were stopped. The soldiers did not understand what I wanted and called for “reinforcements.” An officer appeared and asked how I was doing. I attempted to explain and I left because it was getting dark and I feared that if I stayed to talk any longer they would call the police to deal with me. I did not see any more soldiers until I reached the Hizma Checkpoint which I crossed without delay. Why was all this going on? Judah Maccabee and his heroic army would undoubtedly been proud of our soldiers who demonstrated their strength today.
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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