The Line is a line of entanglement. It is not straight, and though its site has been framed as “virgin land,” it is not a blank slate. In contrast to the Line’s performative futurities are enduring realities: excavation is eradicating wildlife and violence is displacing thousands of the Huwaitat tribe. Still, their right to continued inhabitation of the land has not been erased. Their belonging endures as the ground itself makes way for a return.
Bedouin Law declares that each date palm tree belongs to its planter and their descendants; no matter who later owns the property, the original Bedouin planter can perpetually collect the fruit produced each season. This sets the basis of a contract to be established. With the (re)planting of over a thousand date palms, Bedouin access to the land can be reclaimed as a site of harvest, passage, and respite.
