Allenby Bridge

Allenby Bridge
גשר אלנבי
جسر الملك حسين

King Hussein Bridge from the Jordanian side
Carries Pedestrians, vehicles
Crosses Jordan River
Locale Jordan
West Bank
Official name Allenby/King Hussein Bridge
מסוף אלנבי
جسر الملك حسين
Maintained by Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Israel Airports Authority
History
Construction begin 1918
Construction end 1919- destroyed during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War
Opened 1994
Rebuilt 1964
Statistics
Daily traffic 1.2 million pedestrians in 2007 and 12,000 trucks[1]
Toll ₪176.00
(Outbound West Bank)
₪155.00
(Outbound West Bank - Palestinians only)
JD10.00
(Outbound Jordan)
Allenby Bridge
Location of the Allenby Bridge at West Bank-Jordan border

Coordinates: 31°52′27″N 35°32′27″E / 31.87417°N 35.54083°E / 31.87417; 35.54083 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.

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.[2]

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.[3] This new structure is currently used exclusively.

The Allenby border crossing

Since the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, the Allenby Bridge Terminal is operated by the Israel Airports Authority.[4] 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,[5] nor stamp the passports of departing travelers.[6] 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.[4] 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.[7]

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).

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/he-IL/Rashot/BrowserSystemMessage.aspx
  2. ↑ Hamidian Palestine: Politics and Society in the District of Jerusalem 1872-1908 p448
  3. ↑
  4. 1 2 The History of the Terminal. Israel Airports Authority
  5. ↑ Irving, Sarah (2012). Palestine. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 30. ISBN 9781841623672. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ Walker, Jenny; Clammer, Paul (2015). Lonely Planet Jordan. Lonely Planet. p. 730. ISBN 9781743605462. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bank of Jordan פתח סניף בגשר אלנבי" (in Hebrew). Port2Port. 2008-07-24. Retrieved 2008-07-25.

External links

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