Israel reduces hours at Jordan-West Bank border crossing

After several months of the Israeli-controlled King Hussein Bridge (Allenby Bridge) between the occupied West Bank and Jordan being opened for 24 hours a day, the busy crossing is set to return to a limited schedule on Monday, Palestinian media reported yesterday.

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that the crossing would continue on a 24 hour schedule on Sunday, but would close at 9:30pm on Monday. It will then reopen at 7:30am on Tuesday and close at 9:30pm during week days. On Fridays and Saturdays the crossing will open from 10:30am.

The 24-hour schedule, which began in June, was a trial. Palestinian Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Al-Sheikh said in a statement in June that the 24-hour opening of Allenby, excluding Fridays and Saturdays, would be implemented permanently at the beginning of next year.

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The border crossing serves hundreds of Palestinians daily, as Palestinians living in the occupied territory are prohibited from using Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport – with the exception of a few special permit holders – and therefore must cross through the Allenby Bridge to access the airport in Amman.

The implementation of a 24-hour opening of the crossing was part of a number of agreements between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israeli authorities, reportedly under the auspices of US President Donald Trump’s peace initiative, to slightly ease the dire economic situation in the occupied Palestinian territory owing to Israel’s half-century military occupation.