- Allenby Bridge
Infobox Bridge
bridge_name= Allenby/King Hussein Bridge
caption=Allenby Bridge after being blown up by thePalmach in 1946
official_name= Allenby/King Hussein Bridge מסוף אלנבי
carries=Pedestrians
crosses=Jordan River
locale=flagicon|JORJordan flagicon|Israel flagicon|Palestinian AuthorityJericho ,West Bank
maint=Hashemite Kingdom of JordanIsrael Airports Authority
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below=
traffic=2,900 pedestrians in 2005
begin=1918
complete=1968
open= 1994
closed=
toll=US $29.00 (OutboundIsrael /Palestinian Authority )
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long=The Allenby Bridge ( _he. גשר אלנבי, "Gesher Allenby"), also known as the King Hussein Bridge ( _ar. جسر الملك حسين, "Jisr al-Malek Hussein"), is abridge that crosses theJordan River , and connectsJericho in theWest Bank to the country ofJordan . It is currently the only exit point for West Bank Palestinians into Jordan.The original bridge was built in 1918 over a remnant of an old Ottoman era bridge by the British general,
Edmund Allenby . It was destroyed once in theNight of the bridges operation byPalmach at June 16, 1946. It was destroyed again during theSix-Day War , but was replaced in 1968 with a temporary truss-type bridge. This bridge is still called the Allenby Bridge by Israelis, although it is also known as Al-Karameh Bridge to Palestinians, and the King Hussein Bridge to Jordanians. In the late 1990s, and subsequent to theIsrael-Jordan peace treaty , a new modern paved crossing was constructed adjacent to the older wooden one with the aid of the Japanese Government.Fact|date=June 2007 This new structure is currently used exclusively.Israeli terminal
The West Bank side of the bridge is considered a border entry point by Israel and is controlled by Israeli authorities exclusively. The Jordanian authorities recognize the bridge as an international border entry point, but in contrast to other border crossings with Israel, do not grant entry visas to foreign passport holders at this crossing. Palestinians travelling abroad must use this bridge to exit the
Palestinian territories into Jordan and then use theQueen Alia International Airport inAmman to fly abroad. Travel permits from both Israeli and Jordanian authorities are required, with varied stringency depending on the political situation.Israeli citizens are not permitted to use the terminal. [http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Borders/Alenbi/AbouttheTerminal/TheMainUsesoftheTerminal/]
Jordanian terminal
The Jordanian side of the bridge has a branch of the
Bank of Jordan for the exchange of monies. [cite news |first= |last= |authorlink= |author= |coauthors= |title=Bank of Jordan פתח סניף בגשר אלנבי |url=http://www.port2port.co.il/Index.asp?ArticleID=63955&CategoryID=95 |format= |work= |publisher=Port2Port |location= |id= |pages= |page= |date=2008-07-24 |accessdate=2008-07-25 |language=Hebrew |quote= |archiveurl= |archivedate= ]References
* [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1149.html US Consular Information Sheet - Jordan]
* [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1064.html US Consular Information Sheet - Israel, the West Bank and Gaza]
* [http://www.jordanriver.jo/articles/pdf.pdf Crossing the River Jordan (Jordan River Foundation)]Footnotes
External links
;Official
* [http://www.iaa.gov.il/Rashat/en-US/Borders/Alenbi Allenby Border Terminal info]
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