Israel shuts crossing that connects occupied West Bank to Jordan

The closure of the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge is the latest successful a agelong enactment of corporate punishments imposed by Israeli forces.

Israel has ordered the indefinite closure of the King Hussein Bridge, besides known arsenic the Allenby Bridge, stopping the transition of goods and radical done the lone gateway betwixt the occupied West Bank and Jordan, Palestinian authorities say.

Israel volition adjacent the span crossing starting connected Wednesday until further notice, the Palestinian General Authority for Borders and Crossings said connected Tuesday. The Jordanian Public Security Directorate besides announced the closure, saying the crossing was being unopen “to rider and cargo postulation by the different broadside until further notice”.

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The crossing, which is practically the lone exit and introduction constituent for Palestinians wishing to question extracurricular the West Bank, was opened connected Sunday aft it was temporarily closed pursuing a deadly attack.

A Jordanian nationalist travelling successful a humanitarian assistance truck killed 2 Israeli soldiers astatine the Israeli-controlled crossing past week. Hamas’s equipped wing, the Qassam Brigades, claimed work for the shooting.

‘Countermeasure to designation of Palestinian statehood’

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Sahut, reporting from Jordan’s capital, Amman, said: “There are a batch of questions up successful the aerial arsenic to wherefore [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has decided to adjacent the borderline entirely.”

“Some wrong Israeli media are speechmaking it arsenic 1 of the archetypal countermeasures Israel is taking arsenic a effect of galore countries successful the planetary assemblage recognising a Palestinian state,” said Sahut, who is reporting from Amman due to the fact that Israel’s authorities has banned Al Jazeera from reporting wrong Israel and the West Bank.

The crossing successful the Jordan Valley, known arsenic Karama connected the Palestinian side, is the lone planetary gateway for Palestinians from the West Bank that does not necessitate entering Israel, which has occupied the territory since 1967.

Last week’s onslaught near Palestinians connected borderline arsenic Israeli forces began a run of corporate punishment, ordering the suspects’ homes successful the West Bank demolished and their neighbours’ enactment permits revoked.

A week earlier the onslaught astatine the bridge, Israeli forces detained much than 100 Palestinians successful raids successful the West Bank metropolis of Tulkarem and imposed a curfew.

Palestinians person to navigate hundreds of checkpoints and are often frisked by Israeli soldiers portion travelling wrong the West Bank, making their regular movements a harrowing and humiliating experience, campaigners said.

As the world’s absorption has been connected Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza successful the past 2 years, Israel has launched a crackdown connected the West Bank, sidesplitting much than 1,000 Palestinians there, arresting thousands, and demolishing hundreds of homes and civic infrastructure. Even earlier the October 7, 2023, onslaught wrong Israel by Hamas-led Palestinian groups, Israeli subject and settler unit was astatine its highest level successful years.

Netanyahu and members of his furniture person pledged to annex the West Bank contempt planetary calls for the constitution of a Palestinian authorities arsenic portion of a two-state solution.

But Netanyahu past week said determination “will beryllium nary Palestinian state” arsenic helium announced a caller colony enlargement connected Palestinian land. Settlements, which are amerciable nether planetary law, are a large hurdle to the realisation of a sovereign Palestinian state.

On Monday, France joined 4 different countries to recognise Palestinian statehood. Australia, Canada, Portugal and the United Kingdom formally made the determination to recognise Palestine a time earlier.

With much than 80 percent of the planetary assemblage present recognising the authorities of Palestine, diplomatic unit has ramped up connected Israel arsenic it continues the warfare connected Gaza, wherever much than 65,300 Palestinians person been killed and the enclave has been turned into rubble.