Monday, Jun. 08, 1987

"We're Building"

Leaving his one-story home in the 150-member Gilgal kibbutz, Jerusalem-born Ami Cohen, 35, carries no weapon and seems oblivious to the border with Jordan, just four miles away. Indeed, the auto mechanic often bicycles around Gilgal dressed in little more than a swimsuit and a smile. He says he feels as safe in the kibbutz as he would anywhere else in Israel. Three years ago, Ami and his wife Chantal, 29, abandoned city life in Jerusalem and, with their three young children, joined the thousands of Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

Ideology burns bright in the hearts of many of those occupiers, but the Cohens do not see their presence in Gilgal as a political statement. "Life is healthier here," says Ami, chunky and round faced, with a bush of dark curly hair. "In the city, we fought a war for money month after month," adds blond, Paris-born Chantal, a nursery school teacher. "This place is exciting. We're building, and we feel equal."

Though Israel and Jordan are still technically at war, the border has been peaceful for years. Chantal sees Arabs only when she visits Jerusalem, an hour's drive southwest. As a result, despite Gilgal's harsh desert climate, this self-contained commune continues to attract young families like the Cohens. Indeed, many of the amenities of city life -- color television, air conditioning -- are starting to find their way to the kibbutz. When asked how they would feel if, as part of a peace agreement with Jordan, they were forced to leave the place, the couple look bewildered and act as if they would prefer not to answer. "We're building this place with our own hands," says Chantal in obvious discomfort. "It would be a shame to leave."