Ma’ale Adumim
The Citizens Proposal has deliberately pushed the borders of Jerusalem to the doors of Ma’ale Adumim to force a meaningful solution for that community. Yet we have held back from including it territorially within the State of Israel, because to do so would in effect divide the West Bank in half. We believe that Palestine must have contiguity north and south such that effective transportation links, highways and trains running between Ramallah and Bethlehem to Hebron can be constructed. Palestine should not be encumbered with a narrow neck of land at its mid-section, any more than Israel.
At present the extent of the Ma’ale Adumim district is large, and growth within it is limited and controlled. A smaller built-up area, as specified in the Falk Report (September 19, 2012), is a suburban neighborhood south of Rte 1 and as far east as Nofei HaSela where the great bulk of the Israeli population in this district live. These residents are largely commuters who work in Jerusalem.
Without an effective and timely resolution, this enclave or would-be enclave could easily become a full extension of Israel. This is neither right nor wrong. But one thing is clear: morally the growth and/or disposition of Ma’ale Adumim should be managed by mutual agreement between the two peoples. It is our position that if Palestinians do not support the community to expand, then that must be respected.
Palestine can offer respect to the Jewish residents of Ma’ale Adumim by maintaining their access to Jerusalem and by enacting special laws to protect their rights to own, buy and sell property to whomever they wish, whether Jew or Arab. We anticipate that many of Ma’ale Adumim’s 30,000-plus Jewish residents will continue to live there with these legal protections, even as they are offered Palestinian citizenship and may take dual citizenship. We believe that Palestine will respect and consider the rights of the residents of Ma’ale Adumim to their cultural and religious traditions. We expect that those Palestinians who might purchase property in Ma’ale Adumim will live in peace with their Jewish neighbors, and those Jews who live in Ma’ale Adumim will live in peace with Arabs who might move into their neighborhoods. There should be no restrictions on who can purchase property and live in this zone. Palestine may even choose to offer respect by granting the residents of Ma’ale Adumim self-government as an autonomous zone within Palestine.
At present the extent of the Ma’ale Adumim district is large, and growth within it is limited and controlled. A smaller built-up area, as specified in the Falk Report (September 19, 2012), is a suburban neighborhood south of Rte 1 and as far east as Nofei HaSela where the great bulk of the Israeli population in this district live. These residents are largely commuters who work in Jerusalem.
Without an effective and timely resolution, this enclave or would-be enclave could easily become a full extension of Israel. This is neither right nor wrong. But one thing is clear: morally the growth and/or disposition of Ma’ale Adumim should be managed by mutual agreement between the two peoples. It is our position that if Palestinians do not support the community to expand, then that must be respected.
Palestine can offer respect to the Jewish residents of Ma’ale Adumim by maintaining their access to Jerusalem and by enacting special laws to protect their rights to own, buy and sell property to whomever they wish, whether Jew or Arab. We anticipate that many of Ma’ale Adumim’s 30,000-plus Jewish residents will continue to live there with these legal protections, even as they are offered Palestinian citizenship and may take dual citizenship. We believe that Palestine will respect and consider the rights of the residents of Ma’ale Adumim to their cultural and religious traditions. We expect that those Palestinians who might purchase property in Ma’ale Adumim will live in peace with their Jewish neighbors, and those Jews who live in Ma’ale Adumim will live in peace with Arabs who might move into their neighborhoods. There should be no restrictions on who can purchase property and live in this zone. Palestine may even choose to offer respect by granting the residents of Ma’ale Adumim self-government as an autonomous zone within Palestine.
E-1 and a North-South Palestinian Highway
The area that Israel has designated as E-1 lies mostly within the Ma'ale Adumim Zone, with the above-mentioned guarantee of property rights for Israeli residents. This would mitigate the diplomatic issues around Israel's decision (December 2012) to plan new residential construction in E-1, as long as those plans are on land east of the north-south line that bisects E-1 and marks the western border of the Zone. However, land west of that line will necessarily be part of Palestine; hence Israeli construction there would be problematic.
We have proposed a route for a North-South highway linking Ramallah with Bethlehem that passes mostly through a corridor of land designated for Palestine between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim Zone. Fairness requires that the existing provision of East-West access from Maale Adumim and Jerusalem via Route 1 be balanced with a route for Palestinians traveling from Ramallah in the northern West Bank to Bethlehem and Hebron in the southern West Bank and that will also allow ready access to East Jerusalem. Although this proposal only connects with local roads, we can presume that the State of Palestine will want to build a modern highway system utilizing this link.
At the southern end of the route, the north-south highway meets the “hinge of Jerusalem,” where the borders of Jerusalem and Maale Adumim meet. There we have indicated several roading options--either crossing the Maale Adumim Zone or skirting around it. Thus the “hinge,” which was set up to establish contiguity and access for Israelis between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, is also a Palestinian point of access between the northern and southern West Bank.
We have proposed a route for a North-South highway linking Ramallah with Bethlehem that passes mostly through a corridor of land designated for Palestine between Jerusalem and the Maale Adumim Zone. Fairness requires that the existing provision of East-West access from Maale Adumim and Jerusalem via Route 1 be balanced with a route for Palestinians traveling from Ramallah in the northern West Bank to Bethlehem and Hebron in the southern West Bank and that will also allow ready access to East Jerusalem. Although this proposal only connects with local roads, we can presume that the State of Palestine will want to build a modern highway system utilizing this link.
At the southern end of the route, the north-south highway meets the “hinge of Jerusalem,” where the borders of Jerusalem and Maale Adumim meet. There we have indicated several roading options--either crossing the Maale Adumim Zone or skirting around it. Thus the “hinge,” which was set up to establish contiguity and access for Israelis between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, is also a Palestinian point of access between the northern and southern West Bank.
The "Hinge of Jerusalem"
The “hinge of Jerusalem” is
all about access, Jewish access to and from Ma’ale Adumim, and Palestinian access between the northern and southern West Bank.
Its purpose is to allow for and help the negotiating parties to take
ample consideration of Ma’ale Adumim’s unique status and requirements.
It is called a “hinge” because it is where four lines converge: 1) the
proposed border; 2) the separation wall; 3) the boundary of the Ma’ale
Adumim zone where residents will have special property rights; and 4)
the line of demarcation that was drawn at the beginning of our process
of developing this proposal.
If, through negotiations, Eizariya or other areas shaded yellow become part of Palestine, the status of the hinge, as well as options for the route between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, may change.
If, through negotiations, Eizariya or other areas shaded yellow become part of Palestine, the status of the hinge, as well as options for the route between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem, may change.