Carries Pedestrians, vehicles Locale JordanWest Bank Opened 1994 Rebuilt 1964 | Construction begin 1918 Construction started 1918 | |
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Official name Allenby/King Hussein Bridgeמסוף אלנביجسر الملك حسين Maintained by Hashemite Kingdom of JordanIsrael Airports Authority Similar Jordan River Crossing, Mount Nebo, Damia Bridge, Daughters of Jacob Bridge, Petra | ||
Israel border allenby bridge
The Allenby Bridge also known as the King Hussein Bridge (Hebrew: גשר אלנבי Gesher Allenby, Arabic: جسر الملك حسين Jisr al-Malek Hussein), is a bridge that crosses the Jordan River, and connects the West Bank with Jordan. The bridge is currently the sole designated exit/entry point for West Bank Palestinians traveling in and out of the region.
Contents
- Israel border allenby bridge
- Israel first tourists cross allenby bridge
- History
- The Allenby border crossing
- In the Arts
- References
Israel first tourists cross allenby bridge
History
The original bridge was built in 1918 over a remnant of an old Ottoman colonial era bridge by the British general Edmund Allenby. The original bridge had been built in 1885 by the Ottoman government of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem.
It was destroyed once in the Night of the bridges operation by Palmach at June 16, 1946. It was destroyed again during the Six-Day War, but was replaced in 1968 with a temporary truss-type bridge. This bridge is still called the Allenby Bridge by Israelis, although it is also known as Al-Karameh Bridge to Palestinian Arabs, and the King Hussein Bridge to Jordanians. In the late 1990s, and subsequent to the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, a new modern paved crossing was constructed adjacent to the older wooden one with the aid of the Japanese Government.
The Allenby border crossing
Since the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, the Allenby Bridge Terminal is operated by the Israel Airports Authority. It serves as a border crossing between the West and East Banks of the Jordan River. The Jordanian authorities recognize the bridge as an international border entry point, but neither grant entry visas to foreign passport holders at this crossing, unlike the country's other border crossings with Israel, nor stamp the passports of departing travelers. Palestinians traveling abroad must use this bridge to exit the Palestinian Authority West Bank region into Jordan and then use the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman to fly abroad, because they are not permitted to use Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Travel permits from both Israeli and Jordanian authorities are required, with varied stringency depending on the political situation.
Israeli citizens are not permitted to use the terminal, except pilgrims to Mecca, the Hajj and Omra. Tourists who wish to travel to Jordan may have to be in possession of a visa from Jordan in advance, depending on their nationality. Tourists and inhabitants of East Jerusalem may travel directly to an Israeli terminal, although Palestinians from the West Bank have to start the departure procedure at the special Palestinian border terminal in Jericho city.
The Jordanian side of the bridge has a branch of the Bank of Jordan for the exchange of currencies.
In the Arts
The Allenby crossing is the locus of a 1971 song by Nurit Hirsh, Gesher Bailey (Bailey bridge - referring to the temporary truss bridge).