Palestinians say main West Bank-Jordan crossing to reopen Friday

RAMALLAH, Palestine / ISTANBUL

The Palestinian Authority said Thursday that the main crossing linking the occupied West Bank with Jordan will reopen Friday after more than a week of closure.

Nazmi Mhanna, head of the PA’s General Authority for Crossings and Borders, said in a statement that traffic in both directions would resume, urging travelers to follow official updates on operating hours.

There was no Israeli confirmation yet of the report.

Israel shut the Allenby/King Hussein Bridge on Sept. 18 following a shooting that killed two Israeli soldiers. On Tuesday, Israeli Army Radio reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided to keep the crossing closed “until further notice.”

Early on Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy warned that the closure had inflicted severe humanitarian and economic damage, disrupting exports, imports and the delivery of vital aid to Gaza.

“The continued shutdown would have had dire consequences for Palestinian industries, agriculture, food security and the movement of people,” the ministry said, calling the closure part of broader Israeli measures aimed at tightening restrictions on Palestinians.

Since October 2023, at least 1,044 Palestinians have been killed and more than 10,000 injured in the West Bank by Israeli forces and illegal settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

In a landmark opinion last July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal and called for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.