From Haaretz: Arab town, both Israeli and Palestinian, divided by shopping

The Arab village of Bartaa, on the outskirts of Wadi Ara, lies halfway inside Israel proper and halfway over the Green Line. But the town is really remarkable for the economic boom it has undergone recently. And opinion over its transformation into a shopping mecca is, like most things in this town, divided.

Some see it as an inspiring story of coexistence, but to others, the market is a sign of how one side of the town is prospering while the other is falling behind.

Since the construction of the separation fence in 2003, a kind of unplanned free trade zone has developed in Bartaa. The town is divided only by a small bridge over a tiny wadi and getting from one side to the other is simple and easy.

(For more, please see: http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/arab-town-both-israeli-and-palestinian-divided-by-shopping-1.410313)