Closure of the West Bank.. Closure of the only crossing with Jordan after a shooting incident
Israeli authorities closed the King Hussein Bridge (Allenby) border crossing with Jordan today, Friday, which is the only crossing that connects the occupied West Bank to the outside world, "until further notice" following an armed attack that occurred on Thursday.
The closure came a day after a shooting incident "carried out by a driver transporting humanitarian aid from Jordan to Gaza", resulting in "the death of two Israeli soldiers there", according to a statement from the Israeli Airports Authority that manages the site.
The measure was not limited to this main crossing but extended to include the Sheikh Hussein crossing (Jordan River) in the north, which was completely closed, while the Arava crossing (Rabbi crossing) in the south remained open only for the movement of workers.
No party has claimed responsibility for the attack targeting the crossing, which is considered "a major trade route between Jordan and Israel, and the only gateway for more than three million Palestinians in the West Bank to access Jordan and the world".
The Palestinian side of the crossing is under Israeli control, and the Israeli authorities refer to it as "Allenby Bridge", while the Palestinian Authority officially calls it "Al-Karama Crossing". The crossing has a long history, as it "was established as a wooden bridge in 1885, and has been rebuilt several times after being destroyed due to floods and wars", and it serves as a lifeline for the population who "use it for pilgrimage, Umrah, and travel abroad via Queen Alia Airport".
It is noteworthy that this attack is not the first of its kind; in September 2024, an armed man who infiltrated from Jordan killed three Israeli civilians at the crossing before being shot dead by security forces", which "led to the crossing being closed for two days" at that time.
