A New Perspective on the Problem of Borders 

The Citizens Proposal brings in a new perspective, which some might call feminine, to the problem of borders. Instead of conceiving of drawing borders in terms of political contests and struggles over ownership, it emphasizes parameters that make for a peaceful and prosperous life for the people on both sides of the border. They include concern for people’s living environment, attention to process, and the expectation of future economic and political development. Some of the principles used in drafting this proposal include:

1. Viewing Palestinians and Israelis as equally deserving of respect and consideration, while also recognizing their different cultural and historical outlooks;
   
2. Balancing the need to minimize the number of people who might be dislocated from their homes with the need for territorial contiguity and a border that causes minimal interference in people’s daily lives;
   
3. Creating and maintaining road links that permit speedy and unobstructed travel between major cities and diminishing the need for lengthy detours to travel between nearby villages; 
   
4. Removing obstacles to the growth of urban areas, anticipating that cities such as Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Qalqiliya will expand;
   
5. Setting up joint administration of sensitive areas, to balance the claims of national sovereignty with the need to assure the rights and well-being of citizens of the opposite country who live in or who travel through them;
   
6. Anticipating protections for the legal rights for settlers who choose to remain a Jewish minority within Palestine and expecting that they will strive to be good neighbors; and that the Arab minority within Israel will receive better services and support;
   
7. Providing for management of border crossings to encourage the smooth and voluminous flow of people and goods between Israel and Palestine, particularly at the border between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, which this proposal has designated the “women’s border”;
   
8. Encouraging magnanimity and humility to assuage the resentment and pain manifest in such demands as the Right of Return; and
   
9. Providing opportunities for Israelis and Palestinians to pursue joint ventures for trade, industry and agriculture, to build stronger links between the two nations.
   

Access

Culture and Identity

Land Transfer

Right of Return

Gaza

Security

Jerusalem

Other Areas of Joint Administration

Jewish Settlers: Those Who Return and Those Who Remain within Palestine

Arab Communities within Israel

Legal Protections, Human Rights and the International Community

Conclusion