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Palestinians in shadow of the separation fence
Photo: Dudi Waknin

Missed opportunity

Separation fence would benefit Israelis and Palestinians – if it were built on the 1967 border

Two moving and interesting sentences in Eli Cohen's excellent series about the separation fence were uttered by two Palestinian villagers, after they expressed their completely justified opposition to the construction of the West Bank fence on their land. Looking straight into the camera, they said, "If the Israelis would have built the fence on the 1967 border we would have helped them build it. We would have even sent our workers and materials to build it."

 

These words epitomize the scope of the opportunity Israel has wasted with respect to the separation fence. The fact that Israel is building a wall to separate itself from the Palestinians is not the root of the problem here. Rather, it is the route of that fence, which in many places (thankfully, not all places) cuts belligerently across the '67 border, which in international diplomatic terminology is the only recognized border between Israelis and Palestinians, at least until an agreement signed by both sides establishes a new border.

 

Open-air prisons

 

Crossing the legitimate border in order to annex additional lands to Israel, or even worse, to provide better security to residents of settlements, has turned entire villages into open-air prisons. It has cut villages off from their fields, and increased the tortuous path locals are forced to take to reach their homes.

 

Even those who believe (not including me) that settlements should be left alone until we reach a final-status agreement with the Palestinians, we could still have made due with a security fence that surrounded the settlements, and provided security escorts along the roads to Israel. But there is no justification for protecting settlers' access roads to Israel with a security fence at a cost of imprisoning entire Palestinian villagers.

 

Mutual benefit

 

It is easy for us to forget, but a clear border with monitored border crossings in accordance with international norms would be no less beneficial to the Palestinians than to Israelis.

 

A. The border that would be established between the two entities would not only help Israel (as we have already seen) to drastically reduce the number of suicide bombers, but it would also help Palestinian security forces arrest Palestinian terror cells on their side of the border, thus preventing Israeli retribution attacks that would cause an escalation.

 

B. A clear border would help Palestinians better monitor the entry of Israelis into the Palestinian sate, and thus prevent Israeli criminal and provocative nationalist elements from easily entering their territory and doing whatever they want.

 

C. Because there is no border, cheap Palestinian labor currently flows freely into Israel, and workers prepared to work under slave conditions receive no work benefits. A monitored border would allow both sides to ensure their rights are protected and ensure a reasonable minimum wage.

 

D. A recognized border would ensure that tourist revenues would also reach the Palestinian state. It is unthinkable that Palestinian areas ripe with tourist attractions produce revenues that go only to Israelis.

 

E. A clear border would reduce dreams of return in the Palestinian consciousness, and dreams of the Whole Land of Israel in the Israeli consciousness. Thus, it will be possible for both peoples to mature into realistic nations.

 

The Palestinian villagers did not speak because they were pressured. They understand the natural instinct of many Israelis and Palestinians still fail to understand: Borders are a sign of independence. And independence is the way to ensure and establish identity. In the long term it is also the way to peace and security.

 


פרסום ראשון: 06.25.06, 10:51
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