Boundaries: The Green Line Between Israelis and Palestinians

The relationship between Israel and Palestine is sour, mainly because of the controversies surrounding their border. Historically, the two nations’ sour relationship can be traced back to the 1949 Armistice border, on the Green Line, a demarcation that was agreed upon between Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.

History of the Green Line

Historically, the Green Line boundary runs about 310km and stretches from the shores of the Dead Sea on the south through the city of Jerusalem and Nablus on the North of the two nations. The line was regarded as a demarcation meant to divide the two nations to show their limits of legal territory according to the definitions issued by the United Nations after the Israeli war of independence in 1948. It was, however, not defined as a national boundary. History has it that it was the Palestinian counterparts in the agreement that led to the formation of the line that insisted against having the Green Line as a boundary.

Under the stipulations of the formation of the Green Line, the two nations were bound by the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization to control movement as per the demarcation line. Israel, however, seemed to express reservations to the agreement especially given the fact that the line aggressed Israel’s boundaries that had been ratified by the United Nations on its independence in 1947.

Effects of the 1967 war and thereafter on the Green Line

The aftermath of the 1967 six-day war saw a major change regarding the geographical Green Line between Israel and Palestine. With the Israeli military invading territory demarcated by the line to belong to Palestine, the significance of the line was annulled. Under the new Israeli occupation, the country regarded the territory beyond the infringed Green Line as occupied territory. Although the Israeli authorities did not incorporate the occupied territories as part of their legal land, continual Israeli military presence prevented Palestine from making a political and physical claim on the land.

In 1980, conflict over the Green Line advanced further when the Israeli authorities under the Basic Jerusalem Law sought to install the whole of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Although the Green Line recognized and divided Jerusalem into two with either part falling on Israel and Palestine, the 1980 Basic law infringed the line further by Israel’s usurping the whole of the city to make it a unified capital. With the move having never been recognized by the United Nations officially, there still exists a notional Green Line that divides the city of Jerusalem. The rest of the land occupied by the Israeli military has been progressively transformed into a settlement center for Israeli settlers.

Current developments in the Green Line conflict

The Green Line and concern as to whether Israel should withdraw its presence from the occupied territories still lingers to date in what recurs as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The United Nations member states have previously unanimously voted in support of the need to compel Israel to withdraw from the controversial territories. The most official statement and direction that the UN recognizes is the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 of 1967 which demanded all Israeli troops withdrawn from occupied territory. The statement does, however, not recognize the establishment of a Palestinian nation as demanded by Palestinians who deny being party to the Resolution 242. The standoff between the two nations continue to date even Israelis oppose going back to the pre-1967 borders, even at the expense of peace between Israel and Palestine. The controversy surrounding the Green Line boundary may, however, have deepened further with the US, a key member state of the UN, having actively supported the 2018 official recognition of Jerusalem as the official Israeli capital.