Allenby Bridge
Coordinates: 31 ° 52 ′ 43 ″ N , 35 ° 32 ′ 32 ″ E
| Allenby Bridge | ||
|---|---|---|
_2009.jpg) |
||
| Official name | גשר אלנבי | |
| use | Road traffic | |
| Subjugated | Jordan | |
| place | Jericho , al-Balqa Palestinian Territory , Jordan | |
| construction | Cable-stayed bridge | |
| opening | 2008 | |
| location | ||
|
||
.jpg)
The Allenby Bridge ( Hebrew גשר אלנבי, Gescher Allenbi ), also known as the King Hussein Bridge ( Arabic جسر الملك حسين Jisr al-Malik Husain , DMG Ǧisr al-Malik Ḥusain ), is a bridge thatspans the Jordan River andconnects Jericho in the West Bank with the Kingdom of Jordan . It is currently the only border crossing from the West Bank to Jordan.
history
The historically original bridge was built in 1918 by order of the British General Edmund Allenby on the remains of an old Ottoman bridge. On the night of June 16, 1946, it was destroyed by the Palmach . After being destroyed again in the Six Day War , the bridge was provisionally rebuilt in 1968. At the beginning of this century, with Japanese funding, the new four-lane König-Hussein Bridge was built from concrete next to the old one-lane bridge. The old Allenby Bridge has not been preserved and is falling into disrepair.
Bridge names
The bridge is called Allenby Bridge by the Israelis . The official name in Jordan is King Hussein Bridge , while the Palestinian name is Al Karameh Bridge - after the closest Arabic location.
location
The bridge is located in a sensitive border area, which is why the facilities for border clearance cannot be compared with those of a European border crossing. On the Jordanian side, the check-in halls are outside the border strip, four kilometers from the bridge. There the terminal is openly accessible, the access road is a restricted area.
On the Israeli side, on the other hand, the systems are located three kilometers in the border strip. Access is only possible after a first preliminary check at the turnoff from the main road. Afterwards there is another check in front of the terminal parking lot. The bridge is then not far from the terminal. The area is under constant military surveillance, even if no soldiers are responsible for handling in the terminal.
Movement of goods
All freight transport between the West Bank and Jordan goes through this crossing. The transport between the Jericho terminal in Israel and the Jordanian terminal is carried out with our own tractor units, which for safety reasons have been stripped of almost all of their cladding ( green trucks ).
Crossing the border for people
Since the border crossing does not lead to Israel but to occupied territory, different provisions apply to it than to the others. Only Palestinians, East Jerusalemites and foreigners are allowed to use it, but not Israeli citizens. You can only get to Jordan via the Arava crossings at Eilat and the Sheikh Hussein Bridge at Bet Shean . There are special regulations for diplomats etc. E. Who are even allowed to cross the bridge by car (e.g. the Patriarchs of Jerusalem). Since the Second Intifada , Palestinians have only been allowed to use Tel Aviv Airport with a special permit that is difficult to obtain. As a result, they are forced to take the land route to Queen Alia International Airport for international travel . The clearance takes place in different groups depending on citizenship, which can cause problems for mixed families. On either side, Palestinians who have been granted new citizenship will not be treated as foreigners once they have had Palestinian ID cards.
Because of the high temperatures and the often long waiting times in the buses, crossing the border is exhausting and takes several hours. While the transition used to be open all the time, during the Second Intifada it could only be passed for hours. It is currently open between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. All borders are closed on Yom Kippur , in Ramadan the processing is interrupted at the time of breaking the fast , then you have to wait about 90 minutes at the current point. After the visit of US President Donald Trump on 22/23 May 2017 in Israel the transition is to be opened permanently again.
Border documents
Jordan does not issue visas at this border . You have to have one in advance or get one when you leave Jordan. Whoever leaves Jordan via the bridge can return via it. This is done by means of a computerized entry when leaving Jordan, there is no stamp in the passport, only a label with a barcode.
Palestinians emigrating to Jordan require either a Palestinian passport or an exit card. This paper, popularly known as “Tasrich” (pass), is a copy of the identity card with a field for stamping. It often happens that a newly issued Palestinian passport is not yet stored in the Israeli IT system and people are sent back to Jericho to get an exit card. The stamp on the exit document is required for the return. During the Second Intifada and the Iraq wars, Palestinians required guarantees from Jordanian citizens to enter the country. At the moment this is no longer the case, instead 10 JOD of entry tax must be paid.
To enter Israel, tourists need the same documents as at the international crossings. Filling out a data sheet has not been necessary for several years. Palestinians must show the stamp of their last departure (passport, exit card).
If Israel has security concerns, Palestinians will be refused entry. Without warning, people were turned away without giving a reason. This was improved after complaints from various groups. A telephone number is now listed on the terminal's homepage, where you can find out in advance about a possible travel ban against your person. Human rights organizations also report cases where the exit permit was made dependent on the willingness to cooperate with the domestic secret service . Other people were arrested and interrogated when entering or leaving the country, or were no longer allowed into the country because their papers had expired.
From Jordan to the West Bank
The terminal is located in the municipal area of al-Balqa directly on the road and can be reached by taxi. The luggage is screened after arrival and you go to the corresponding hall (J1-3). The travelers are handled in three groups: foreigners, Arabs and VIP service. After passport control, each group has to drive 4 km through the border strip and over the bridge in a bus belonging to a Jordanian company (approx. 8.50 JD, with a suitcase). Depending on the current legal situation, an exit tax may be levied. The departure tax for foreigners was 8 JD in 2013, none was levied in summer 2014 after the visa fees had been doubled. The expensive (US $ 40–70) VIP service takes care of the border formalities and works with minibuses, so the waiting time is shorter. "Mixed" families may be able to use the bus for Arabs together with the permission of the officer on duty. This must be announced at passport control. On the other side of the bridge (Z2), all occupants used to have to leave the bus briefly and are allowed to board it again after a preliminary check by Israeli soldiers. At the moment this is no longer the case. All luggage must be handed in at the terminal (I3) for inspection. Passport and baggage are linked to each other by number stickers. This is followed by personal checks with a metal detector , hand luggage screening and, if necessary, with a special analyzer with which mobile devices and bags are checked. Then passport control and registration are carried out by the police. Foreigners there usually get the regular tourist visa for all of Israel for 3 months. Spouses of Palestinians are sometimes only granted shorter periods of time or a special visa that only entitles them to stay in the Palestinian autonomous territories (stamp “Palestinian Authority only”). After these entry formalities, one reaches the arrival hall via the last control gate, where one has to search for one's luggage, which has since been screened, (often a long time). Therefore, many mark their suitcases with eye-catching colors. In the event of problems with the luggage, the owner will be identified by the number and must personally show up at the checkpoint and open the luggage himself. A policeman may even be called in. In front of the building you can either take an Israeli taxi in all directions or a Palestinian bus to the border terminal in Jericho. There the autonomy authority will carry out another baggage and passport control. There is a separate procedure for organized tourist and Mecca pilgrimage groups: They are allowed to drive their Jordanian bus to their own arrival hall (I4) in the Israeli terminal and board their Israeli bus there after clearing.
From the West Bank to Jordan
Palestinians must first come to the new Japanese-funded Terminal (P1) in Jericho. There they have to pay the departure tax (153 ILS per person over 2 years) and after passport control they are put on a bus that drives past the old border control post (P2) to an Israeli military checkpoint (Z1) on the border of the autonomous area. Previously, all travelers had to go through a metal detector without luggage (hand luggage was not checked) and transfer to another bus. This is currently no longer necessary. While the people are being brought to the terminal, the luggage is brought directly to Jordan. It used to be unloaded in the no man's land in front of the bridge (I5). Tourists and Palestinians from East Jerusalem are allowed to take a taxi directly to the Israeli terminal. There is no luggage check. The first control point is on the access road at the junction from national road 90. It is 3 km through the border strip to the terminal.
Here the groups separated again: Palestinians had to go through their own check-in hall (I2) to passport control and to Palestinian buses. These drove to the point (I5) where the unattended luggage can be searched for and picked up, and then on to the arrival hall in Jordan. East Jerusalem residents and tourists had their own check-in hall (I1). Now these halls have been merged so that the passport processing takes place together, only that tourists there have to pay the departure tax (175 ILS per person over 2 years plus 5 ILS processing fee per transaction). After clearance, however, the groups are put back into two different Jordanian buses. These then drive over the bridge to the arrival hall for tourists or Arabs. The VIP service saves you from waiting for the bus to depart, as foreigners in particular have to wait a long time until enough passengers have gathered. "Mixed" families can drive away from Jericho together. At the terminal, after completing the formalities in I1, foreign nationals may be allowed to travel together on the “Palestinian bus”. After the bridge (J4) there is a pre-inspection by the Jordanian police, to which the passports are collected. After arriving at the terminal, the baggage is screened. Entry into Jordan (passport and luggage control) is pretty quick.
Incidents
Incidents at this border are very rare.
After Israel stormed Jericho prison on March 14, 2006, the border crossing was closed without warning. Buses on the way have been sent back. The crossing did not reopen until two days later.
On March 10, 2014, the 38-year-old Jordanian judge Raed Zueter was shot while crossing the border at the control post (Z2) under contradicting circumstances. This sparked protests in Jordan and the government of Israel apologized the next day.
After three Jewish students were kidnapped in June 2014, all male Hebron residents between the ages of 16 and 50 were banned from crossing the bridge.
Web links
- Allenby Border Terminal info
- Jordan US Consular Information Sheet
- Israel, the West Bank and Gaza US Consular Information Sheet
- Crossing the River Jordan. (PDF; 806 kB) Jordan River Foundation, 2002
Individual evidence
- ↑ United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2000): Cooperation between the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and Jordan to enhance subregional trade-related services ( Memento from April 16, 2013 in the web archive archive.today ) (“At Jericho, there are two options : ... ”)
- ^ A “gesture of goodwill” for the Palestinians , report by SRF from May 22, 2017
- ↑ rescind “Shin Bet-Prohibited” Classification. ACRI, February 6, 2007
- ↑ Terminal info: Tips for passengers
- ^ Jerri Bird: Special Report Israel's Treatment of Americans. In: If Americans knew. June 2002, accessed December 28, 2013 .
- ^ Ha-Aretz August 17, 2011
- ↑ Israel's Visa Rule: If You Visit Palestine, Stay There . Time Magazine, Aug 22, 2009
- ^ Saadat surrenders - Chaos in Gaza , FAZ on March 14, 2006
- ↑ Israeli soldier shoots Jordanian judge dead at border crossing , Ha-Aretz on March 10, 2014
- ↑ Jordanian judge ran toward soldier screaming 'Allah hu Akbar,' Israeli probe reveals , Ha-Aretz on March 11, 2014
- ↑ Hebron District and its 680,000 residents under third day of closure: Increasing reports of property damage in arrest raids , B'Tselem on June 17, 2014