The sudden decision by which Israel would close the only land that would pass over three million Palestinians to occupied West Bank access to international travel has intensified fears of more restrictions amid the threat of retaliation against the Palestinian state’s Western perception.
The closure of the intersection left Palestinians abroad, but patients undergoing treatment in Jordan were forced to extend their stay on a limited budget. The family is separated by a sudden decision by Israel, leaving thousands uncertain about when the border will resume.
Jordanian father Ismail Tamimi said the closure of the border had separated him from his young daughter who was visiting his family in Hebron city on the west bank of the Jordan River.
“One of my daughters is diabetic. … She missed her health check in Jordan today. We can’t come here because the border is closed,” he said, adding, “School is also starting so my kids miss the start.”
Rami al-Kwasmi, another Palestinian from Hebron, said she would have to rent a Jordanian house while waiting for the border to reopen.
“I don’t know where to go. There are thousands of others like me,” he said. Over half of Jordan’s population of 10 million is of Palestinian descent, and the country is home to over 2 million registered Palestinian refugees.
The Israeli government, which controls the border crossing, has yet to say why the border was closed. Israeli airport authorities, which manage the intersection, say it is a decision of the political class. A Jordanian truck driver transported humanitarian aid intended for Gaza, fired at the intersection, killing two Israeli soldiers. Israeli military said it would investigate the incident.
Palestinians feel that the closure is retaliatory and designed to punish them for the decisions made by several Western countries this week to recognize Palestine as an independent country.
“It’s a revenge against people, and it’s very similar to the checkpoints spread across the West Bank. This makes us feel like we live in a big prison,” a Palestinian journalist living in the West Bank told CNN.
The UK, France, Canada, Australia and several other Western countries officially declared their recognition of the Palestinian state on Monday. This was vehemently condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said Israel and its decision would “give a massive award for fear.”
For decades, Palestinians have relied on the Allenby intersection, also known as the Hussein Bridge or Alcalama crossing, as the main route to leave the West Bank without entering Israel. Travelers from the West Bank usually use intersections to access adjacent Jordanian international airports, visit and receive treatment for families living in the country.
The bridge is named after Edmund Allenby of England, who led Allied forces from the Ottoman Empire more than a century ago to capture Palestine. It has been destroyed many times throughout history, including the 1927 earthquake, the attacks by Jewish paramilitary groups in 1946, and the six-day war between Israel and Arab countries in 1967.
Israel has ruled the bridge since its war and has closed it due to religious holidays and security concerns. The intersection was closed last week after two Israeli soldiers were killed before it reopened a few days later. A similar attack last year led to the closure of the intersection.
But the latest decision by Israel to close an intersection called the indefinite closure has sparked concern among Palestinians, which appears to be part of a pattern of measures recently taken to lock Palestinians.
“Students cannot go to university, students studying abroad cannot return. Their families have been torn apart,” prominent Palestinian politician Mustafa Barguti told CNN, adding that “patients who need treatment in Jordan are banned from travel.”
The Israeli government is debating the possibility of annexing all or part of the West Bank, and far-right ministers are calling for a full annexation. It built more obstacles, installed dozens of iron gates on occupied territory, making movement within difficulties.
“This has become all small prisons and ghettos as part of Israel’s plan to divide all small towns and villages into land and pressure people to eventually leave Palestine,” Barguti said.
The bridge gives Palestinian territory an economic lifeline, delivering important goods to struggling areas, and more recently, trucks can transport important humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza. There were 251 hostages that day.
“The closure of the border is a collective punishment and a disruptive measure by Netanyahu that led Israel to international isolation,” Arab Knesset member Ahmad Tibi told CNN.
