Jordan-West Bank crossing reopens two days after attack that killed three Israelis

September 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Allenby Bridge border crossing, known in Jordan as the King Hussein Bridge, reopened to passenger traffic on Tuesday, two days after an attack by a Jordanian national left three Israeli guards dead.

The Israel Airports Authority, which is also in charge of land border crossings, has indicated that the crossing “will be open to passenger traffic from Tuesday, September 10, 2024, during normal business hours,” according to a statement. It also stressed that operations at the cargo terminal “will remain suspended until further notice.”

The reopening has been confirmed by Jordan’s Public Security Directorate (PSD), which detailed in a statement that the reopening took place at 8:00 a.m. (local time) and confirmed that the crossing “will remain closed to freight traffic.”

The crossing is located on a bridge over the Jordan River and connects Jordan to the West Bank, although it is controlled by Israel, which maintains an occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories – the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The crossing is the only one through which Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem can travel by land abroad.

Sunday’s attack was carried out by a Jordanian driver who opened fire at the border crossing. Upon arrival at the area, he got out of the truck he was driving and opened fire with a pistol at the troops guarding the crossing before being “eliminated”, the Israeli army confirmed.

The Jordanian government, for its part, said the attack was an “individual action” carried out by a Jordanian citizen and identified the perpetrator as Maher Diab Hussein al Yazi, who crossed the bridge as the driver of a truck transporting commercial goods into Palestinian territory.