Traveling from Fort Collins to Jerusalem, a team of journalists joined a delegation of Israelis, Palestinians and internationals to “Walk the Green Line,” a recent program hosted by the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information.
The Green Line demarcates the 1948 border between the UN partitioned Israel and neighboring territory. During the 1967 6-Day War, Israeli forces occupied territories west of this border. Since then, establishment of an independent Palestine has been hotly disputed, frequently erupting in violence between Jews and Arabs.
Fast forward 60 years, repeated Israeli and Palestinian surveys report majorities on both sides advocate ending occupation through establishment of two secure states. Nevertheless, public perception is limited to outbreaks of violence.
In stark contrast, the tour group was introduced to citizens on both sides inching forward despite intransigent governments and media-savvy extremists. People across the Green Line renounced military forces and militias as ineffectual “peace” enforcers and have stepped into roles as peace-builders, quietly creating a different reality on the ground.
On the first day, the delegation hiked eight kilometers through Gilboa forests, paralleling a stretch of border where the Green Line and separation fence are aligned.
The majority of this border is undisputed and the fence, although contentious, is less intrusive. Periodically, the guide pointed out features of surrounding landscape - adaptations to centuries of grazing, remnants of rocky terraces and “sabra” fence lines, or spots along the way where “volunteer” pines were freer to cross borders than human counterparts.
Back on the bus, participants rode past the Jelameh crossing point to meet leaders of the Gilboa Regional Council. Over lunch, Israeli Danny Atar and Palestinian Eid Salim detailed extensive plans for cross-boundary economic development in the Jenin region.
These longtime colleagues, along with Jenin Governor, Qadoura M. Qadoura and European Union’s Tony Blair, have spent much of their careers incubating this effort. Speaking both in Arabic and Hebrew, each leader expressed cautious optimism for the future, offering their collaborative work as a model for Arab/Jewish collaborative initiatives.
One impression lingered along with the strong coffee – in areas where the fence and green line are contiguous, progress toward neighborly development is more evident, likely and achievable. Especially intriguing were innovative security strategies to help manufacturers avoid costly inspections and delays getting to markets. These measures allowed containers to be inspected on site and subsequently sealed for transport.
Less than ideal? Yes. A way forward? Perhaps. An unequivocal commitment to improve lives? Absolutely.
Comments
Elissa, I value your work, but your article has a few errors that may be misleading to your readers. 1st, the Green Line does not demarcate "the 1948 border between the UN partitioned Israel and neighboring territory". The Green Line was a cease-fire line and is not a border established by a treaty or by the UN. The Green Line was also established in 1949, not 1948.
2nd, according to my map, the territories administered by the Israelis after the 1967 war are east of the Green Line. :-)
Your point about peaceful efforts being more achieveable in areas where the fence and Green Line are contiguous is well taken. But it would be helpful to give some context to the fence. For over 30 years, there was no fence. It was only constructed after repeated suicide/homicide bombings by Palestinians crossing from the West Bank into Israel. It is a necessary evil at this time. Educate the Palestinians to give up terror as a means of achieving "peace" & the wall will come down.
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