RAMALLAH, (PIC)
Israeli occupation forces (IOF) closed the Karama crossing on Sunday, which is the main land outlet between the West Bank and Jordan used for the movement of Palestinian citizens to and from the West Bank, as well as being a main passage for goods.
The IOF also closed the roads leading to the nearby city of Jericho. Observers believe that these punitive Israeli measures are part of exploiting the shooting incident involving a Jordanian truck driver this morning against occupation soldiers at the crossing, which resulted in the death of three soldiers and the martyrdom of the attacker.
The closure of the Karama Crossing effectively isolates the people of the West Bank from the outside world and tightens the siege on them. The crossing is located on the western border of Jordan, 60 km from Amman and about 5 km from the city of Jericho in the West Bank.
The crossing is used by those traveling from Jordan to the Palestinian territories, where travelers move after crossing the King Hussein Bridge, from the Jordanian side to the Israeli crossing Allenby, and undergo thorough inspection procedures, followed by departure to the Palestinian side at the Karama Crossing and then into the Palestinian territories.
Since the start of the Israeli genocide against Gaza on October 7, 2023, protests have not ceased in the Jordanian capital, Amman, calling for an end to the war. Among the demands chanted by the demonstrators is a complete severance of relations between Jordan and Israel, including the Wadi Araba peace agreement signed in 1994, and the cessation of trade in goods and vegetables.
Alongside the ongoing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation army and its settlers have escalated their aggression in the West Bank, resulting in the martyrdom of 692 Palestinians, the injury of about 5,700, and the arrest of more than 10,400 people, according to official Palestinian institutions.
