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Too many trees in the forest
The Jerusalem Post published an account of life on both sides of a forest shared by Palestinians and Israelis:
Lydia Aisenberg - A large forest of closely knit oak trees spreads leafy shade over a group of small hills atop a range of mountains, part of which is in the State of Israel and the other part in the northernmost corner of the West Bank. The security fence and pre-1967 armistice line (or Green Line) diverge in this area, creating a narrow zone of the West Bank on the Israeli side of the fence.
Tranquility reigns.
The only sounds come from a flock of goats slowly picking their way
over rocks and through undergrowth on the outskirts of the forest. From
time to time a young shepherd boy knocks a large stick on a rock to
gather in a few strays, the sound echoing across the narrow valley
together with an occasional bleat from the long-haired, nimble-footed
goats.
On one side of the forest, atop a small rock-strewn hill,
sits a small Palestinian village, Umm Reichan. On the other side of the
forest's solid, majestic oaks is the Jewish settlement Reichan. They
share the name of the forest that physically separates them.
However,
there is more than a dense forest creating a deep divide between the
residents of Umm Reichan and those of Reichan. Though beyond the
pre-1967 border, both villages are situated on the Israeli side of the
security fence running through this part of the land - that the Jewish
residents refer to as "Samaria" and the local Arabs simply call
"Palestine."
Read the complete article here.
Posted By Anne-Sophie Samjee at 9:58am on June 28, 2007
Comments: 0
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