Israel will close the main border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan 'until further notice,' according to the Palestinian authority in charge of the crossings.
Israel will close the main border crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Jordan starting Wednesday "until further notice," the Palestinian authority in charge of border crossings and borders said Tuesday.
Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank. Photo: AFP
"The Israeli side has informed us of the closure of the Al Karameh crossing starting tomorrow, Wednesday (...) and until further notice, in both directions," the Palestinian General Authority for Crossings and Borders said in a statement, citing its president, Nazmi Muhanna.
Israeli Military Radio reported that the decision was made on the orders of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The network asked the president's office if the decision was a reaction to the wave of recognitions of the Palestinian state by several countries between Sunday and Monday, but received no response.
Allenby reopened to traffic on Monday, according to the Israeli daily Haaretz , after several days of closures and reopenings by Israeli authorities, after the driver of a truck carrying humanitarian aid opened fire on soldiers at the crossing, killing two of them.
On Thursday, September 18, the truck driver killed two soldiers, aged 68 and 20.
Following the attack, Israeli authorities closed this border crossing to humanitarian aid until the investigation into the incident was completed, although it was eventually reopened to regular traffic.
The Allenby Crossing is the gateway to the outside world for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who are not allowed to enter Israeli territory or use Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
Palestinian walking in the streets of the West Bank. Photo: EFE
The decision further isolates this Palestinian territory, already largely surrounded by a barbed-wire wall erected by Israel. The wall, like the occupation of the West Bank, is illegal according to the International Court of Justice, which has called on Israel to dismantle it.
On Sunday, in the face of the wave of recognition of the Palestinian state (the same day the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia did so), Netanyahu assured that he would give his "response" to these actions upon his return to Israel after participating in the UN General Assembly.
After several countries announced their intention to recognize Palestine this summer, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presented a proposal for Israel to annex 82% of the West Bank , a step that Israeli media believe the Netanyahu government could take.
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