Legitimation crises, public inquiries and boundary construction: the Or Commission and the Green Line paradox

This article examines the Or Commission of Inquiry and the discursive invention of the ‘October 2000 disturbances’ by offering a reconceptualisation of the Green Line function in the context of the Israeli state ideology (mamlachtiut). The commission presents an interesting case of a State Commission of Inquiry working under unprecedented lack of public and political legitimacy and of government support. By applying a sociopolitical perspective, the article analyzes the Or Commission not simply as a neutral administrative instrument but as a political actor that sought to enhance its legitimacy and influence public opinion and decision-makers by deviating considerably from its official mandate.