Israel has closed the only crossing between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and neighbouring Jordan, stopping more than two million Palestinians from accessing the outside world.
The Israeli airports authority, which oversees the Allenby Bridge crossing, said it would be closed indefinitely from Wednesday morning 'at the direction of the political leadership'. It did not provide a reason.
The closure has stranded many Palestinians in the West Bank, who are unable to go on planned trips abroad. Those who are abroad have been unable to travel home.
It comes days after two Israeli military personnel were shot dead near the crossing by a Jordanian gunman, who was killed at the scene.
The crossing was briefly shut following that incident but had since reopened. The Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, lies about halfway between Amman and Jerusalem and is the only official crossing point between the West Bank and Jordan, as well as the only entry point to the West Bank that does not go through Israel.
Most Palestinians in the West Bank are not allowed to travel through Israeli airports or other Israeli border crossings, meaning the bridge is an essential connection to the outside world.
Prominent Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti described the closure as a 'dangerous move' that effectively imprisons people in the West Bank and deprives them of their only passage out.
'You're talking here about disrupting the relationship between hundreds of thousands of families who are usually connected through Jordan,' he said.
'Thousands of people who are stuck in Jordan, they don't have resources to go and pay for hotels. They cannot stay outside. There are mothers who live with their children in the West Bank who need to come back,' he added.
Jordan is home to more than 2m registered Palestinian refugees, and a significant portion of its population is of Palestinian descent. While Jordan has maintained security, trade, and diplomatic ties with Israel since a 1994 peace treaty, it is a vocal critic of Israel's actions towards Palestinians.
Maxim Giacaman, a medical student from Bethlehem, shared his frustration about the closure, stating, 'I have a rotation for one month in Germany for cardiac surgery... My plane is on Saturday, and I was planning to go to Amman, Jordan today. So it's miserable.'
The Allenby bridge serves as a key trade route for goods and medical supplies entering the West Bank and facilitates about 9% of the humanitarian aid sent by truck to Gaza.
Many Palestinians fear that this indefinite closure is a response from Israel to recent international moves recognizing the State of Palestine, which Israeli officials have described as 'a reward for terrorism'.
Since the outbreak of violence following a Hamas-led attack, Israel has tightened its control over the West Bank, introducing new checkpoints and military operations against Palestinians, with a rise in attacks by Israeli settlers.
'It shows you that the world community has failed drastically in deterring Israel from expanding its oppressive policies,' says Barghouti. 'Israel will not be restrained unless there are serious punitive acts.'
The Allenby bridge was constructed in 1918 and has been under Israeli control since the 1967 Six Day War, with occasional closures for security or religious reasons.
