RegendansThe humiliating ordeal of traveling abroad as a West Bank Palestinian
When Israel closed Allenby Bridge without warning, my journey to Istanbul turned into 36 hours of missed flights, uncertainty, and endless waiting.
Last December, my journey from the occupied West Bank to Istanbul — which should have been a three-hour drive to the airport followed by a two-and-a-half-hour flight — took almost 36 hours.
Why did a regional trip take longer than traveling to South America or Asia? Because of how absurdly difficult it has become to cross the notorious Allenby Bridge (also known as the King Hussein Bridge or Al-Karameh Bridge) to Jordan — the only gateway connecting West Bank Palestinians to the outside world, which effectively functions as another Israeli checkpoint.
Over the course of crossing Allenby, we waited in the blazing afternoon sun and under the early morning stars; made last-minute arrangements to sleep at a local family’s house; and were forced to part with our luggage, purchase new flight tickets, and take two taxis and two buses. In between, we drank dozens of black coffees, most of the time having no idea whether we would make it to our destination at all.
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