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more reports by John click here>>

July 29th, 2003 The New Green Line

by John

Jayyous, the Occupied West Bank.

On Saturday, July 26, Boston delegation members continued their daily presence at the gate of the 'security' fence. We have monitored the gate for over a month and the farmers have expressed to us that it has helped to prevent violence and intimidation from occurring there. The very act of 'just being on the scene' has provided protection for them as they travel through the gate to their farms.

Today we arrived for the usual 6 am morning shift. The private security guards, who have been the main source of problems for the farmers, were off today (Saturday is a not a working day in Israel). Thus the farmers may pass through the gate without having to provide identification cards to Israeli civilians who do not have the authority to ask for them. The farmers were also able to travel without fear that the private security guards would detain them, make them sit in the sun for hours at gunpoint, and possibly beat them. However, around 7 am, we were paid a visit by a local Israeli military unit. They demanded that we approach them and then proceeded to question Ben and me about what we were doing there. They interrogated us in a quite antagonistic manner about what we were trying to achieve by watching the gate. When we stated that we were making sure that farmers were able to travel to their lands without harassment or intimidation, they responded by saying 'it is none of your business, it is ours'. They further told us that the fence is now the "new green line" ö the new border between Israel and the Palestinian territories. The real 'green line', the 1967 internationally recognized border which sits about 6 km's west of the fence and incorporates over 75% of Jayyous' land, is no longer seen by them as the legitimate border. They said, "What is the green line anyway"? "Have you ever seen it"? And "people like you do not know what you are talking about". Of course these statements contradict what the Israeli government is claiming about the security wall. Thus I protested by reminding them that the Israeli High Court had given the farmers of the village the right to freely access their lands on the other side of the fence. They responded, however, with the comment 'there will be no argument: that side is Palestine and this side is now Israel'.

About one hour after the soldiers left, we were approached by another military vehicle. The soldiers came out of their jeep and walked toward us. This time, the soldiers were much less antagonistic. They asked us similar questions about what we were doing there and we answered with our similar response that we were merely watching the gate. However, because this conversation was "friendly", they spoke openly about the reasons why the fence must exist and also about the future of the gate and fence in Jayyous. Like the previous soldiers, they began by stating, 'This is the new green line'. A statement that is new for us to hear from soldiers. It seems as if there has been a change in the way that the military perceives the fence in the month that we have been here. For just a few weeks ago, the military would state that both sides were Jayyous and that only the fence was the property of the Israeli state. It appears now that all the soldiers were in consensus that the fence is the new green line.

The soldier further informed us that the gate would soon be closed. If farmers wanted to access their land they would soon have to travel across the "real green line" west of Qalqilya and go through an official Israeli check point. The trip would be over 20 kms and would take many hours by donkey. Basically, it would be not be possible for people to get to their farms if that was their only option. This comment confirms what the villagers have always feared: that notwithstanding the promises of the Israeli government about leaving the gate open, it would be closed and the villagers would lose their family's land and the nearby Israeli settlement would annex it. The village of Jayyous would follow in the footsteps of so many other Palestinians villages along the fence -- losing most of its land and forcing people to leave in search of economic opportunities elsewhere. A tragedy which most Americans could never contemplate.

For the people of Jayyous, the fence dominates the majority of daily conversation. This is not unusual in that the village's economic well-being will be determined by the fate of the gate staying open. However, beyond the very real economic importance that the fence represents, it also represents other issues and concerns. For instance, in conversations with villagers, they have expressed that the fence:

* Represents injustice because Israel chooses to use military force to settle differences. Further, Palestinians do not understand why Israelis believe that a wall will lead to peace. For them, the fence shows that they are unwilling to do the hard work that peace requires and as such, will prohibit the process of reconciliation. It will only be through mutual understanding and open communication that peace may be achieved ö and not by the creation of barriers.

*Represents that problems will not only continue, but will likely increase in the future. They realize that the social, political, and economic costs that the fence will take on the village will result in greater poverty and anger.

*Represents the end of the peace process and the failure of the Palestinian political leadership. Rather than withdrawing from the territories, Israel has gained more land and control. Israel will remain in the territories and not withdraw from them.

*Finally, to the villagers of Jayyous, the fence represents the fact that justice has not triumphed. They have great difficulty understanding why they, the indigenous inhabitants of the region who have toiled the land for dozens of generations, who want nothing more than to merely work, live with their families and loved ones, and to live in peace, are the ones who suffer. Why does Israel continue to receive financial and military assistance from the United States -- assistance which provides Israel with the money to build the fence? Why did the international community intervene in places such as Kosovo and not in Palestine? How is it that they, a peaceful and intelligent people, have become identified as the terrorists and not the state of Israel that inflicts daily human rights violations, terror, and violence?

For the families of Jayyous, and for Palestinians in general, the creation of a new green line is but another reminder of the weakness of the international community in not holding countries, such as Israel, accountable to ethical standards.