Palestinians stranded after sudden Israeli closure of sole West Bank crossing 

Thousands of Palestinians were left stranded this week after Israeli authorities abruptly closed the only crossing between the occupied West Bank and Jordan, causing widespread confusion and hardship.

The closure of the Allenby Bridge crossing - known to Palestinians as the Karama crossing - began on Wednesday without explanation, following orders from Israeli political leadership, according to Israel’s Airports Authority, which manages the crossing.

On Thursday, Palestinian officials announced that the crossing would reopen on Friday, though Israel has yet to comment publicly on the decision.

The unexpected shutdown left scores of Palestinian families stuck on the Jordanian side of the border, many facing harsh and deteriorating conditions.

“I witnessed elderly people struggling, children crying, and many families stuck there for hours,” said Hisham Abu Shaqra, a Palestinian videographer returning home from a training course abroad.

“Many were fainting in the overcrowding and heat,” he told Middle East Eye. “All the other course participants are already back in their home countries, except me. I’m stuck here in Jordan, separated from my wife in Bethlehem.”

According to Aziza Nofal, a Palestinian journalist and MEE contributor, the situation in Jordan has become dire for those unable to cross. 

Nofal managed to return to the West Bank just before the latest closure, after several exhausting attempts.

'There was complete confusion, people were fainting, and the humanitarian conditions were terrible'

- Aziza Nofal, Palestinian journalist

The crossing had been closed briefly last week following a shooting incident in which a Jordanian man killed two Israeli soldiers. 

Its temporary reopening saw a rush of travellers trying to return home before the gates were shut again this week.

During this period, many families struggled to afford accommodation in Jordan, facing mounting hotel bills and uncertainty.

“On Tuesday, the gate opened only four times,” Nofal said. “Each time, only a limited number of people were allowed through, while many were left waiting outside with no explanation.”

“There was complete confusion, people were fainting, and the humanitarian conditions were terrible,” she added.

During one brief reopening, Nofal managed to push through the crowd and cross, but without her luggage.

“I was shoved inside, but my bags remained behind,” she said. Several of her colleagues, she noted, are still stranded in Jordan.

Only connection to outside world

The Allenby Bridge is the only connection to the outside world for three million Palestinians that does not pass through Israel.

Thousands of people use it daily to cross into Jordan before continuing to their final destinations by air and returning the same way.

The bridge is also one of the main routes for goods and supplies entering the West Bank, including humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.

The Balasan Initiative for Human Rights, a Palestinian rights group, condemned the sudden closure of the bridge earlier this week.

“The closure of the crossing is tantamount to shutting down the only airport of an entire nation, resulting in total paralysis of movement and collective isolation,” Balasan said in a statement.

The group added that the justification of maintaining Israel’s security does not warrant the shutdown.

“It constitutes a politically motivated punitive measure targeting the Palestinian population as a whole,” the statement continued.