By Daoud Kuttab

Israeli security officials at the King Hussein (Allenby) bridge turned back an American peace volunteer who is part of the Christian Peacemaker Teams in Hebron twice in the past week.

Jonathan Brenneman, 25, from St. Marys Ohio was turned back September 25th after a five hour wait at the border crossing. He had been denied entry for the second time. Earlier on September 17th he was denied entry on the justification that he didn’t provide an invitation letter. Unable to apply for a visa at the Israeli embassy in Amman which has been closed for the Jewish holidays, he brought the invitation letter in his second visit as well as testimonials from Israelis only to be turned back. Brenneman has filed a report with the US embassy in Amman. His congressman, senator and US state department officials were also contacted.

Blogging about his experience, Brenneman said the Israeli soldier told him the second time that the reason for his denial was because Christian Peacemaker Teams is not a recognized organization. “I told the soldier that we legally do not need to be recognized by Israel, and I asked why that was a reason for not letting me in. He said his commander said I couldn’t come in for that reason, and that was the end of the conversation.” Continue Reading »

the following appeared in Jordan Times

By Daoud Kuttab

The conference we were invited to was important. Called for by the Gaza Centre for Press Freedoms, the event was aimed at addressing and developing the local Palestinian media in Gaza.

I was invited as part of an international media support delegation and all appropriate permits were secured. The Palestinian government in Gaza issued everyone individual visas with their photos and passport number, the Egyptian authorities were notified and the necessary coordination was established.

The Egyptians were informed that a nine-person delegation that included individuals with British, Danish, American, and Croatian passports would be entering Gaza via Rafah.

Because Israel destroyed (physically) the Gaza International Airport that had been opened with a visit by US president Bill Clinton shortly after the beginning of the second Intifada, other routes had to be found. The most convenient way to get to Rafah is through the city of Al Arish, often described as the capital of Sinai. But because the only days Palestine Airlines flies in from Amman did not concur with our conference days, we had to drive in from Cairo. Continue Reading »

By Daoud Kuttab

This week, family and friends crossed international borders and military checkpoints and overcame the usual political bureaucracies to attend my daughter’s two weddings. Why two weddings? Let me explain.

Like me, my daughter Tamara is a Jerusalemite. The bridegroom, Alaa, lives in the Bethlehem-area town of Beit Jala. It takes minutes to move between these adjacent towns, but they are kilometres away because of the 45-year-old political and military situation caused by Israel’s occupation of Arab lands. Continue Reading »

 By Daoud Kuttab

The first thing you notice upon entering Mitiga Airport in Tripoli is a series of signs with the word “No” in capital letters next to illustrations of automatic weapons. The second thing is just how liberally most Libyans interpret these rules.

In the days following the death of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the rules were not quite in effect. Revolutionaries nonchalantly toted their Kalashnikovs and rocket-propelled grenade launchers as they whiled away their preboarding hours at the gate. An airport official roamed the terminal with a gun marked with a bar-code tag, beseeching the owner to claim his checked luggage. Continue Reading »

I splurged on myself this month. I spent $10,000 to make my life easier. This money was not spent on buying a new car or a more comfortable bed. In fact this money was spent without receiving any tangible commodity or service. I dolled out this money to make my travel from Amman to Jerusalem and back easier and faster. And I didn’t bribe anyone. In fact this week, it took me only two hours (possibly a record not accomplished in 44 years) to make it from Ramallah to Amman because of this expensive act.

This extraordinary sum of money was spent on getting my Jerusalem licensed 2004 VW Golf a second registration, customs and insurance in Jordan (customs and registration alone was JD6,900 nearly $10,000). And with the same car licensed insured and customs paid in both country, plus a permission from the Jordanian ministry of interior, I am able to travel by car across the King Hussein in my own car. Continue Reading »

For years I have succeeded to avoid it, but for some reason, I fell in the trap. I am not sure if my decision to fly out of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport rather than my usual starting point of Amman’s Queen Alia Airport was to see if things might have changes or some crazy sadistic desire to suffer on the hands of the Israeli airport security.

I started my trip early enough, leaving my Jerusalem home at 5am and arriving at the first airport checkpoint exactly two hours before flight time. I chose to drive the car rather than my 22 year old son with the hope that my gray hair would somewhat help. Not at all. While cars ahead of us and behind us were wized through, we were asked to pull over to the side. After handing him my US passport and my and my son’s Israeli blue residency ID card, the young Israeli security guards asked me to turn off the car and give him the keys. Not sure where he thought I would have run if he I was to keep the keys. Continue Reading »

(This was published in July 29th, 2010)

By Daoud Kuttab

Once again the summer heat is upon us. And once again, people’s anguish, and appeals at the overcrowded King Hussein Bridge are melting as quickly as an ice cream cone in the Jordan Valley’s high temperatures.

The King Hussein Bridge is the only crossing point available to the 3.5 million Palestinians of the West Bank. It is officially open from 8:00am till midnight, but in reality the last bus leaves at 10:00pm and people are often turned back on the Jordanian side after 9:00pm because of the summer congestion. More people are leaving the West Bank than visiting it, according to statistics issued by the Palestinian side. The Palestinian Authority reported that the traffic was moderate in first week of June. It saw the departure of 17,473 people from Jericho and the entry of 9,411 into the West Bank. This doesn’t include East Jerusalemites who cross the bridge directly without going to the Jericho crossing. Estimates of Jerusalemites who end up at the same terminal on the Jordanian side is about 3,500 a week. No published statistics have been issued by the Jordanian authorities. Continue Reading »

The announcement has been long awaited. The Israeli Airport Authority announced that starting August 4, the King Hussein Bridge (sometimes referred to as Allenby Bridge) will be open daily till midnight on a 60-day experimental basis.

Ever since the outbreak of Al Aqsa Intifada, the Palestinian police that were stationed at the bridge as part of the Oslo Accords, were sent packing to Jericho and bridge hours were reduced to 8:00am till 4:00pm for most passengers, while diplomats were allowed to use the crossing till 8:00pm.

Continue Reading »

Jun. 21, 2009
Daoud Kuttab , THE JERUSALEM POST
The suffering of Palestinians crossing the King Hussein Bridge, the only exit and entry point between the West Bank and Jordan, continues without any serious attempt at relief. While there is no doubt that the real remedy is the end of the occupation, genuine efforts should be exerted now to ease passage for individuals and families.
Continue Reading »