Route 443 currently links Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv area (Modiin and the airport, for example). 40, 000 Israelis (and tourists on their way to the airport) use it daily as an alternative to the main road linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Fifteen kilometres of route 443 is built inside the West Bank, including on private Palestinian land.
The problem: Palestinians are not allowed to use the road.
The road used to be a major traffic artery to Ramallah for Palestinians living southwest of the city. The High Court only allowed the Israeli authorities to build the new road if it served the local population. Now however, the local population, some 35, 000 people, are forced to travel on a different route, one that is much longer, windy and in disrepair.
For a while Palestinians and Israelis shared the road. But in the wake of the second intifada in 2000, and following several attacks on Israeli vehicles where people were killed, Palestinians were increasingly prohibited from using route 443. By 2002, a full prohibition was in force. Of course, those who committed the crimes should be punished, but is it fair to punish all the people living in the area?
An Israeli NGO, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, petitioned the High Court on behalf of the six villages affected by the prohibition. To date, their efforts have been unsuccessful.
This is not the only case where a road is built in the West Bank by the Israeli authorities, which Palestinians are prohibited from using. Palestinians are forbidden to use, or are restricted in their use of more than 300 kilometres of roads in the West Bank; Israelis on the other hand, are free to use these same roads without restrictions. See the map here.
I support Israel punishing acts of violence and terror. I am okay with Israel imposing robust security measures to protect people's lives. But within reason. Israel has the duty to protect the lives of everyone living on its territory, including people living on territory it occupies. If the lives of Israelis is in danger by using this road, the Israeli authorities could have easily found an alternative route, within Israel's own territory, to provide safe passage. Instead, the Israeli authorities chose to disrupt the lives of Palestinians living near the road, restrict their movement and cut them off from important economic, social and cultural ties. It makes me furious.
How is it ok to punish entire villages for the acts of a few? And should the convenience of this road to Israelis really outweigh the basic needs of the local population to a decent livelihood?
46 days to go...
Hi Carin, I am so loving your blog - and am always amazed at how we can all see this land through very different eyes. Since I travel the 443 almost every day... I have a few comments and questions...I am curious what "security within reason" actually looks like? It sounds great to talk about it, but how do you do it? The 443 was not only responsible for 5 Israeli deaths as cited in the video, it also became a main route that terrorists from Ramallah area filtered into both Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv - killing hundreds and wounding thousands of Israelis! While the roads operating before the 443 were certainly shorter, they were no more developed than the current roads used by the Palestinians. The 443 cost millions of Dollars to build - and cannot be so easily re- routed. It is easy to talk about "measured restrictions" but far harder to implement practically. Is Israel completely to blame for the awful situation? A road that could have been a fanastic example of co-existance, running through both Jewish and Palestinian lands was used and abused to kill people - many people! It is also not right to call it only a road of convenience for Israelis, I am not sure when the video was made, but it is NOT a 7 minute time saver by any stretch - making it also crucial to the economic, social and cultural ties of thousands of israelis. Just the population of Modiin alone has doubled in the last 5 years - making this the main road in and out the city. My blood boils at the terrorists and terror supporting organisations such as Hamas, that consistantly seek death and destruction to Jews and Israelis alike - regardless of the cost to their own people. And then have the nerve to call it 'freedom fighting' - when their own peoples freedom is the very thing they destroy. The 443 a perfect example of this.
ReplyDeleteLiza.
Looking from outside!far from this, I tend to agree with Carin.As much I hear debates and information about palestinias and israelis more seems to be a endeless fight.
ReplyDeleteIara - Brazil
But Liza, it's on THEIR land!
ReplyDeleteIts actually on both our lands!! And was meant for use for BOTH people. Until one used the road to kill the other. As a nation that has seen major devlopment in the last 60 years - over land whose boundaries are simply NOT clear and highly contested on both sides - many roads in Israel cut through both Jewish and Palestinian lands - and not ALL roads are closed to Palestinians and not ALL roads are open to Israelis. Development, land, roads etc all become extremely difficult to negotiate. Please remember the Jewish people are NOT a colonial people to this land, in fact lay tremendous actual not only biblical claim to this place - every archeological site in this country lays testimony to that. While some might call the settelments occupied territories, others will call it Judea and Samaria - Homeland to Jews for over 2500 years. (and please note, there has always been a Jewish presence in these areas) This is a country in turmoil on both sides, and both sides have suffered and made mistakes. The Palestinian leadership todate refuses on any level to accept the fundental right for the existance of the Jewish State of Israel.(this is in their charter) Without one side even willing to acknowledge the others right to be here in any form - any discussions, development, peace plans, two state solutions and yes roads such as the 443 become an impossible task to negotiate. This country is tiny. You can travel the length of it in one day - so to build a road between one city to the next without affecting anyone is near impossible. All major roads the 443, the 6, the 1 have cut through both peoples lands. These roads become microcosims for much larger problems - and to simply dismiss things as "Their land" is both unfair and aruguably innacurate.
ReplyDeleteLiza.
Useful devices like bridges and tunnels can help different peoples and their roads to cross without being at mutual reach. If the road was built for millions without any of those, it's quite hard to think that this wasn't with the purpose of hindering Palestinian's lives.
ReplyDeleteMassive tunnels are being built,They are not yet completed. They too have come under protest with the various difficulties over land.
ReplyDelete