Israel will reopen the Allenby Bridge crossing to commercial traffic on Wednesday, nearly three months after a deadly terror attack led authorities to shut it down, Israeli officials said.
A security official said the move follows combined U.S. and Jordanian pressure and comes after both sides completed new security measures at the crossing, which had remained open only to pedestrian traffic since the Sept. 18 attack. In that incident, a Jordanian terrorist driving an aid truck opened fire at the crossing, killing Lt. Col. (res.) Yitzhak Harush and Sgt. Oren Hershko.
According to the official, Israel and Jordan have tightened screening procedures for Jordanian drivers and cargo. Israel has also deployed additional security forces, and all aid trucks entering the West Bank or Gaza will undergo full inspection — first by the Jordanian military and then again by Israeli authorities. Drivers will require prior security clearance from the Shin Bet.
The reopening followed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, after which Israel agreed to resume cargo transfers under stricter protocols. “The Jordanians implemented the security changes we demanded and even beyond,” a senior Israeli official said, adding that every truck will now be escorted and subject to “rigorous” checks.
The Allenby crossing has been a key route for aid flowing from Jordan into Gaza, and U.S. officials had pressed Israel for weeks to restore full operations, even as Israel maintains it is already meeting its commitment to allow 600 aid trucks a day into Gaza under international agreements.
The Sept. 18 terror attack intensified scrutiny of screening procedures at the crossing and led Israel to halt all cargo movement. The revised protocols are aimed at preventing similar attacks, officials said.
“The investigation continues, and we will keep strengthening security at all border crossings,” the security official said.