The Huwara checkpoint (; ) is a checkpoint operated by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at one of the four main exits of Nablus. Situated to the south of the city, it was named after the nearby town of Huwara. It was established in October 2000, during the Second Intifada, and was a major checkpoint until the October 7 attacks in 2023, after which it was closed to all Palestinians.

History

thumb|250px|Palestinians and an Israeli soldier at the Huwara checkpoint, 2005

In 2002, the checkpoint was open from morning to evening. Later, it remained open for 24 hours every day. All vehicles were required to have special permits and be searched. By 2004, there were reports of long lines and overcrowding, and the checkpoint was said to be "one of the busiest in the West Bank."

In February 2007, Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar held a photo exhibition at Hawara and several other checkpoints, showing photos of Palestinian life and experiences at the checkpoints. According to the International Solidarity Movement, the "photos were hung on the chain-link fence pedestrians have to pass as they enter Nablus."

In 2008, renovations were carried out to ease the overcrowding. Conditions at Hawara were relaxed in July 2009. The checkpoint was opened to allow pedestrians to cross freely without being searched. Palestinian vehicles have sometimes faced random inspections. but according to the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq, the checkpoint was still in use in 2014.

thumb|Cars in line to pass through the checkpoint leaving Nablus, 2009

Machsom Watch reported that after the February 2023 Huwara rampage, the IDF increased armed presence at all checkpoints and added a layer of gates to the Huwara checkpoint. They also paved a new bypass road reaching from Tapuach Junction to the Awarta checkpoint, intended for Israeli settlers wanting to avoid the Huwara checkpoint. On 18 September 2023, Middle East Monitor reported that security measures at all checkpoints were tightened, and the Huwara checkpoint was among the checkpoints that were closed to residents.

Huwara checkpoint has been closed to Palestinians after the attacks on 7 October 2023. , it has been blocked by the West Bank barrier.

Reception

Throughout the 2000s, accounts of the checkpoint described issues for travelers moving through the checkpoint, and for the soldiers manning the checkpoint. Travelers reported long wait times, property damage, harassment, humiliation, delay or denial of access to medical services, mistreatment of women, and violence from the soldiers, including beatings and shootings.

The soldiers working at Huwara checkpoint reported untenable working conditions. Soldiers stationed there said that the issues are systemic, not necessarily personal to any individual soldier, and that working conditions are a driving cause of violence and mistreatment of travelers. She also said, "As we passed through the Huwara checkpoint [...] the atmosphere changed; the tension was palpable." The attack lasted for almost five minutes; the soldiers killed al-Hayek's husband, and injured both al-Hayek and her father-in law. The soldiers stopped firing, then came to the car and pulled al-Hayek out of it. The soldiers then made her undress completely, one or two garments at a time, which they said was required to determine how pregnant she was; recalling this, al-Hayek referred to it as "humiliation", saying that she "was ready to go as far as that in order to get to the hospital before it was late."

2003–2005

In April 2003, a group of Palestinians reported that IDF soldiers had written numbers in ink on the Palestinians' hands while they were waiting in line at Huwara checkpoint.

On 24 March 2004, a 16-year-old Palestinian boy known as Hussam Abdo tried to pass through the checkpoint while having an explosive belt strapped to his body for an attempted suicide attack. However, he failed to do so and subsequently surrendered to Israeli soldiers at the checkpoint.

In May 2005, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy was arrested at the checkpoint with two pipe bombs inside a black bag, apparently instructed to give them to someone in Israel. In November 2007, two Palestinian teenagers were detained for interrogation after they were found to be carrying three bombs; an Israeli sapper detonated them without incident. In September 2008, during Ramadan, a Palestinian woman threw acid at an Israeli soldier's face while she was passing through the checkpoint, leaving him blind in one eye.

See also

  • Checkpoint 300
  • Israeli occupation of the West Bank
  • Palestinian freedom of movement
  • Transport in Palestine
  • West Bank barrier
  • West Bank closures

Notes

References

  • All reports for "Huwwara" – eyewitness reports of Huwara and Huwara checkpoint from Machsom Watch, spanning from 2002 to at least
  • Meeting violence with a violin at A West Bank checkpoint – via The Guardian, July 2015
  • Photo exhibition at Huwwara checkpoint – article about a February 2007 photography and activist event at the checkpoint, via the International Solidarity Movement