Citizens Proposal for a Border between Israel and Palestine
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  • About
  • General Issues
    • 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
  • Maps
    • Overview Map
    • Northern West Bank
    • North Jerusalem
    • Jerusalem -- Eastern Areas of Focus
    • Ma’ale Adumim, E-1 and Access
    • South Jerusalem
    • Southern West Bank
    • Gaza and its Future Development
    • Conclusion
  • Position Statements
    • 2011 >
      • Har Homa C
      • Giv’at Hamatos
      • The Question of Recognizing Israel as a Jewish State
      • Let Us Prepare for Two States
      • Can Palestinians Recognize Israel’s “Jewish Character”?
      • Next Steps: Negotiating an Initial Border
      • Etzion Bloc Expansion: Israeli Overreaching
      • Israel’s Tussle with Europe
    • 2012 >
      • Time to Negotiate the Northern and Southern Sectors of the Israeli-West Bank Border
      • President Peres and Dr. Ashrawi: Thank You for Staying on Track
      • Playing the Victim Card Will Not Bring Peace
      • Negotiations By the Parties
      • The World Should Help the Palestinian Hunger Striker
      • ...and only afterwards move to discuss the topic of Jerusalem
      • A Question of Accountability
      • Israel Twisting in the Wind
      • Netanyahu: Too Big for His Britches
      • Netanyahu's "Israeli Comfort"
      • How Shaul Mofaz Can Jump-Start the Peace Process
      • Netanyahu on the Brink
      • Time for Taking Stock
      • Israel in Wonderland
      • Whatever Happened to the Quartet?
      • The Palestinians Want to Negotiate
      • A Time for Hope and a Call for Restraint
      • Israel Can Win in Gaza, But Not Now
      • Congratulations to the New State of Palestine!
      • Security and Borders: Both Required for Peace
    • 2013 >
      • It Is Up to Israel to Restart Peace Negotiations
      • Israel and Palestine: Changing the Terms of Agreement
      • The Knesset Bill to Increase the Number of Women that Elect the Chief Rabbis Is Important for Jewish Women
      • Proposal on Governance of the Holy Basin
      • Time for Netanyahu to Reach Across the Aisle
      • Tzipi Livni's Challenge
      • Women Should Be Free to Pray at the Wailing Wall
      • Proposed Highway through the Jordan Valley Will Backfire on Israel
    • 2014 >
      • Secretary Kerry, Please Beware of Israel’s Stalling Tactics
      • A Proposal on the Issue of Palestinian Recognition of Israel as a Jewish State
      • Proposed “Jewish State” Law a Threat to Israel’s Democracy
      • Journaling: Hope and Despair - Seven Weeks In
      • Netanyahu's War
    • 2015 >
      • We Should Applaud Herzog and Livni for Reclaiming Zionism
      • The Next Israeli Government
      • West Bank Citizenry and Receipt of Individuals of Palestinian Origin
      • What Next for Israel?
      • Palestinian statehood
      • Mischief in the Trade Legislation would Hinder Progress
      • What Next for America?
      • Could American Firms Choose to Gradually Disinvest from Israel?
      • Boycotting Israel is not anti-Semitism
    • 2016 >
      • Isaac Herzog's Diplomatic Initiative: Can This Detour Be Reframed Into a Road to Two States?
      • The Choice of Friedman as Envoy to Israel Is a Challenge to the Soul of American Judaism
      • America’s Abstention at the UN: Well Played!
      • Lapid: A New Leader for Israel?
    • 2017 >
      • Outcomes of SC Resolution 2334
      • Release the Tapes of the Noni Affair
      • Yair Lapid: A Strong Leader for a Secure Israel
      • Bill to Annex E-1: A Knife in the Heart of the Two-State Solution
      • Thus Endeth the Jewish State
      • CP Suspending Operation
    • 2019 >
      • Return to Two States
      • ​Benny Gantz Can Do Better than Pander to the Settlers
      • The Joint List Should Join the Government
    • 2020 >
      • Israel's Moment of Opportunity
      • Trump’s Unfair Middle East Plan Leaves Nothing to Negotiate
  • Resources
  • About the Authors

_Southern West Bank

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The section of border that began at South Jerusalem continues through the Southern West Bank to the Dead Sea. Southwest of Gilo the border follows the Armistice Line until the Etzion Bloc, which is depicted in the detail map below. From where the separation wall meets the Armistice Line south of Rte 367 and above al-Dayr, the border follows the separation wall south all the way to Metsadot Yehuda; then it continues along the Armistice Line to the Dead Sea. The only exception is the settlement of Eshkolot, which is not included in Israel.

Where, due to meanderings of the separation wall, pockets of people find themselves east of the Armistice Line but west of the border, they may negotiate for a referendum to be held—contingent upon the two states agreeing to terms and perimeters—to determine for themselves whether their community will be in Israel or Palestine.

Aside from the Etzion Bloc and those along the border in the far south (Sansana, Metzadot Yehuda), this proposal places all the settlements in the southern West Bank within Palestine. Those settlers and communities who are determined to remain may find their future as a Jewish minority within Palestine, and it is our hope that they will find welcome, safety, and the opportunity to build lasting relationships with their Palestinian neighbors.

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_Etzion Bloc (Gush Etzion)

_Gush Etzion has a history of Jewish settlement dating back to the 1920s, and is an area in the West Bank with a Jewish majority. Our proposal for a Gush Etzion enclave is indicative of the existent reality that is there. It does not purport that those who live there are justified, but it does purport that those who live there believe they are justified. It is neither here nor there to argue which is true. But it is an imperative to accept that those who live in the Etzion Bloc must be cared for. 

However, the Etzion Bloc impinges on Route 60, the central artery for the southern West Bank connecting Bethlehem and Hebron. The requirement for a contiguous Palestinian state would render an Israeli enclave here untenable unless extensive new roading is constructed. In particular, a new Rte 60A bypass road will be needed to enable Palestinian traffic between Bethlehem and Hebron to flow freely entirely within Palestine. Until that is built, Palestinians and Israelis must have reciprocal rights to travel Rte 60 through Gush Etzion and to and from Jerusalem. We also believe it is important to provide services, especially emergency services, for Palestinian travelers within Israeli territory. Hence we propose a first aid facility, petrol station and convenience store along Rte 60 near Neve Daniel. It can also include a place for prayers.

At the same time, new roads will be needed to connect Gush Etzion with Israel. We propose two roads, one over a strip of land at Giva'ot Junction, and the other to Beitar Ilit and connecting with Rte 375 west to Tsur Hadasa. At the same time, there should be road access for Palestinians traveling between the local villages of Husan, Nahalin and Jaba.

What’s fair is fair, and in providing consideration for the settlements in the Etzion Bloc, we would also offer consideration to Wadi Fukin, an Arab agricultural community lying between the Armistice Line and Beitar Ilit. We would provide it with broad land access to the north at the strip of land labeled (1). However, this strip of land is also the path of Rte 375, the main access in and out of Beitar Ilit. Therefore, while it will remain in Israeli hands for a time, it will revert to Palestine once new roads are built out of Beitar Ilit to the south that connect with the new Ezion Bloc access road through Giva’ot Junction. In any case, it will revert to Palestine on the fourth anniversary of the signing of the agreement that establishes this border.

Dead Sea

_We propose, to promote good will and international peace, that a Jewish university be placed in Palestine on the shores of the Dead Sea, preferably south of Ovnat, within easy driving access to Jerusalem. The university will have faculties in economics and business, religious study, and the advancement of agriculture in arid areas.
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