Not-So-Public Transportation

As routine as riding a city bus may seem to Americans, it has proven to be one of the many surprisingly complicated and controversial issues of Israel. Originally, any Palestinian with an entrance permit was allowed by law to freely ride the public buses in and out of Israeli cities (though in actuality, this was not always the case). One Israeli transportation company, Afikim, is has turned this notion and the industry on its head with its new initiative.

As of March 4^th, Afikim will be offering Palestinian-only and Israeli-only bus lines running from the West Bank into central Israel. Passengers will not even board the buses together. Palestinians, who can not enter the settlements where the Israelis board, will be picked up from several stops along the Trans-Samaria Highway. The company claims the segregated lines are nothing more than an attempt to appease customers – on both sides. Israelis disliked Palestinians on their buses because, among other things, they believed they posed a significant security risk. While for Palestinians, the line promises reprieve from the unfair treatment seen on other lines and a more cost-effective alternative to private transportation services, often crowded vans or trucks. The company is hoping these improvements are enough to entice the thousands of Palestinian workers who make the daily trip into Israel.

This article relates to our discussions of the difficulties in relations between Israel and Palestine, specifically the Settler Movement. Because developed central Israel offers greater economic opportunity, most Israeli settlers work outside of the West Bank or Gaza Strip. This also means that many settlers need a cheap public option for transport back and forth. It is here that the settlers often cross paths with the many Palestinian workers riding the buses for largely the same reason. As mentioned above, Palestinians are forbidden from entering many Jewish settlements, so when the two groups cross paths on a public bus, the mutual fear and racist attitudes created by such a lifestyle come to a head. Without settlements as a factor, the issue of shared public transportation would have far less fuel; it represents another issue in Israeli-Palestinian relations complicated by the Settler Movement.

Linkto Haaretz Article

Matt Leap