'Israel' to close West Bank crossing to Jordan indefinitely
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“Israel” will indefinitely close the Allenby crossing, the only route between the West Bank and Jordan, disrupting Palestinian travel and trade just days after reopening it.
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Israeli police stand guard near the site of a shooting operation at the Karameh border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on September 8, 2024 (AP)
“Israel” will indefinitely close the Allenby Bridge crossing, also known as the Karameh border crossing, between Jordan and the occupied West Bank starting Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A spokesperson for the Israeli authority overseeing the crossing said the political leadership ordered the closure but did not provide further details. Palestinian and Jordanian officials had earlier reported the move.
The Allenby crossing, located near Areeha, is the main gateway for Palestinians in the West Bank to travel abroad and a vital route for commercial goods between Jordan and the West Bank.
The decision comes just days after “Israel” fully reopened the crossing on Monday after a shooting operation that killed three Israeli security personnel.
The indefinite closure raises concerns about further restricting Palestinian movement and disrupting trade flows in the region.
Political context
The move also comes amid heightened tensions after several Western states, including France, Britain, Canada, Australia, and others, announced recognition of the State of Palestine in hopes of reviving the "two-state solution".
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to deliver a government “response” to the recognitions once he returns from the United States.
IOF, settlers ramp up aggression across West Bank
Israeli occupation forces and settler groups continued their assaults across the occupied West Bank on Sunday and Monday, carrying out aggressions against Palestinians and their property.
According to WAFA, two Palestinian youths were injured by Israeli rubber-coated bullets shortly after midnight during a raid on the town of Ya’bad, west of Jenin.
The Palestinian Information Center reported that a group of settlers occupied a Palestinian house in al-Khalil’s Old City in the southern West Bank. At the same time, elsewhere, Israeli occupation forces set fire to a home during a raid on the village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah.
In Nablus, the IOF launched a detention campaign in the Balata refugee camp, coinciding with ongoing raids in the city’s eastern neighborhoods. They also detained Sheikh Mustafa Shawar, head of the Association of Palestinian Scholars, from his home in al-Khalil.
Additional raids were reported in several areas of al-Khalil, including Surif, Bani Na’im, and Wadi al-Hariyya. Israeli occupation forces also stormed the town of Qusra and the Old Askar refugee camp near Nablus, as well as the town of Qaffin north of Tulkarm.
In Qalandia refugee camp, north of occupied al-Quds, Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters along Airport Street as students made their way to school.
