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57 Chapter One Mortal Danger Two Rides along the Separation Fence February 2006: First Ride to the Fence MORTAL DANGER—­ MILITARY ZONE ANY PERSON WHO PASSES OR DAMAGES THE FENCE ENDANGERS HIS LIFE These words are printed in Hebrew, Arabic and English (in this order) on a plastic orange-­ colored sign. The sign carries the logos of the IDF (a Star of David within which a branch of olive interlaces a short, gladiatorlike sword), and the IDF’s central command (a profile of a roaring lion) in its upper right and upper left corners,respectively.It is attached to a 2.5-­meter-­high,wire steel fence gate, and is wobbling and creaking in the wind. The gate stands half open on an asphalt road, which splits from Mevasseret Zion’s northernmost street—­ Har Canaan [Mount Canaan] street. The road itself has no street name. It leads to the town’s water tower, a 40-­meter-­high, naked concrete standing“finger,”which overlooks Har Canaan Street and is the tallest (in meters) and highest (in elevation ) structure in Mevasseret. My bicycle odometer indicates that I have ridden 417 meters from my apartment building to here. I came today to this highest point in the town to observe and examine the space between Mevasseret and Mt. Scopus, to locate the trails that descend from Mevasseret to the Arazim Valley (Cedar Valley). I know that there should be a trail here—­ the local newspaper talked about a trail called the“Interlopers’ 58 / The Politics of the Trail Path” (in Hebrew, Shvil Ha-­ Shabachim),1 which goes around here, connecting Mevasseret and the Palestinian village that I can see from my home but have forgotten its name. The newspaper article mentioned that thanks to the separation fence, dozens of Palestinian interlopers who used the path every day—­ and thus“gave” it its name—­ disappeared from Mevasseret’s streets. I am looking for that path, to see whether it is“ridable”and whether it connects to other trails on the northern edge of Mevasseret that might flow into the Arazim Valley. Indeed, to my east, on the slope that falls down to the Reches Halilim neighborhood, I can see a narrow path that parallels the perimeter of the neighborhood . But the path disappears in the shrubbery and thistles below my line of sight; the gradient here is too steep for me to follow the route of the trail. A barbed wire fence, which frames the half-­ open gate, prevents me from approaching farther on the slope toward the east. While I prefer to ride on dirt paths, in order to avoid cars, I realize that with all this barbed wire, it will be quicker to go down through the streets of the town. I turn my attention back to the half-­ open gate and the orange-­ colored sign. I stand on the ground, with the bicycle between my legs, and hesitate about whether to go through. I stare, somewhat puzzled, at the sign and listen to the creaking sounds. Another notice, a yellow signpost that stands by the gate, with the no-­entry red and white symbol painted on it, says,“NO ENTRANCE EXCEPT SECURITY VEHICLES.” My gaze wanders beyond the half-­ open, half-­ closed gate. I see the asphalt road continuing and an olive grove on its eastern side. I also see the Palestinian village farther up the road.“Is this the separation fence?”I wonder.“No,”I think, “the barbed wire fence here is too rusty and old, and the separation fence was erected just a year or two ago. It couldn’t have worn down that much. Besides, it is so easy to cut this fence. This must be some‘service’ road leading to the fence itself. But why is the gate open? Someone might slip in, nonetheless . . .” It is noon. A clear winter day, the air is sharp and visibility is excellent. No one else is here, at the top of the hill. It is quite eerie here, even though I am only a few dozen meters from Har Canaan Street and the daily, mundane suburban normalcy of Mevasseret. Shall I continue my ride or shall I obey the yellow sign, refrain from entering this “military zone”? Is there really a mortal danger lurking here or is this just the usual“disclaimer”? Do I enter“the territories” if I pass in the gate? What will happen if someone comes and closes and locks the gate behind me? I will be...

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