Allenby Bridge

Coordinates: 31°52′27″N 35°32′27″E / 31.87417°N 35.54083°E / 31.87417; 35.54083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Allenby Bridge
King Hussein Bridge

  • גשר אלנבי
  • جسر الملك حسين
Palestinians only)[citation needed]
  • JD 10.00 (outbound Jordan)[citation needed]
  • Location
    Map

    The Allenby Bridge (

    Al-Karameh in Jordan.[citation needed
    ]

    The bridge is currently the only official border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, and is the sole designated exit/entry point for West Bank Palestinians travelling abroad by land.

    Being 381 metres (1,250 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest fixed water crossing in the world.[citation needed]

    History

    In 1885 the Ottoman government of the Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem built a bridge at this site.[2]

    In 1918

    Edmund Allenby built a bridge over the remnant of the Ottoman predecessor.[2] The 1922 census lists 12 people (8 Christians and 4 Muslims) living at the bridge.[3] It was first destroyed by the 1927 Jericho earthquake, when it fell apart and collapsed into the river.[4] The 1931 census lists 13 people (11 Muslims and 2 Christians) living at the bridge.[5]

    It was destroyed again in 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.[6]

    Allenby Bridge border crossing

    Since the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, the Allenby Bridge Terminal has been operated by the Israel Airports Authority.[7] 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 Jordan nor Israel grant entry visas to foreign passport holders at this crossing, unlike the country's other border crossings with Israel,[8] nor stamp the passports of departing travelers.[9] Palestinians traveling abroad can use the Allenby Bridge to exit the West Bank into Jordan and then use the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman to fly abroad. Travel permits from both Israeli and Jordanian authorities are required, with varied stringency depending on the prevailing political situation.[citation needed]

    Israeli Arabs to join the hajj in 1977.[10][11] 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.[citation needed
    ]

    The Jordanian side of the bridge has a branch of the Bank of Jordan for the exchange of currencies.[12]

    • The opening of the original Allenby Bridge in 1918
      The opening of the original Allenby Bridge in 1918
    • Larger bridge built in the 1930s next to the original one visible behind it
      Larger bridge built in the 1930s next to the original one visible behind it
    • Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge after being blown up by the Palmach in 1946
      Allenby (
      King Hussein) Bridge after being blown up by the Palmach
      in 1946
    • The bridge after being destroyed by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War
      The bridge after being destroyed by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War
    • King Hussein Bridge inscription (western end), 2013
      King Hussein Bridge inscription (western end), 2013

    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) sung by Yehoram Gaon.[citation needed]

    See also

    References

    1. ^ "Al-Karama crossing: A "symbol and witness of humiliation and suffering"". Jerusalem 24. 2022-07-22. Retrieved 2023-10-29.
    2. ^ .
    3. ^ Palestine Census ( 1922).
    4. ^ Palestine Square (11 July 2016). "And the Land Lurched Forth: Remembering the 1927 Jericho Earthquake". Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS). Retrieved 8 April 2020.
    5. ^ Palestine Census 1931.
    6. ^ "Embassy of Japan in Jordan (ODA: Middle East Peace & Regional Stability)". jordan.emb-japan.go.jp. Archived from the original on 2006-07-09.
    7. ^ a b About: Alleby Bridge, Israel Airports Authority.
    8. . Retrieved 14 September 2015.
    9. . Retrieved 15 September 2015.
    10. ^ William Claiborne, After 30 Years, Israeli Moslems to See Mecca, Washington Post (October 26, 1978).
    11. ^ Karin Laub, Thousands of Israeli Moslems Leave For Mecca, Associated Press (June 26, 1989).
    12. ^ "Bank of Jordan פתח סניף בגשר אלנבי" (in Hebrew). Port2Port. 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on 2008-08-02. Retrieved 2008-07-25.

    External links