Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Gurion?

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Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Gurion?

Postby mountainwiccan » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:22 pm

Ok Brit female here planning a trip to the West Bank (Hebron) in the next few month or so.
Originally I planned to simply fly into Ben-Gurion and take it from there. I have kind of had a re-think because of the intensity of Israeli security at this particular border. Right off the bat, I'm not a human rights activist and I'm not going there for any other reason than the fact that it's a place I've had on my tick list (i.e the West Bank). The problem is that when I was an undergraduate student a few years ago studying Human Rights, I took to signing anti-Israel online petitions in my own name (yeah pretty idiotic in retrospect).

The point is that, I understand that if individuals are singled out at the airport they undergo "enhanced security and background checks" - anyone know what this entails because if it involves googling my name then I'm pretty much screwed I guess.

I considered flying into Amman and crossing via the Allenby Bridge (if it's open) with the hope that their security may be marginally less intensive. Also, if they turn me away at Allenby, at least I can go back into Jordan rather than losing the cost of my flight which could happen at Ben Gurion

Cheers!
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby coldharvest » Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:30 pm

crossing via the Allenby Bridge (if it's open) with the hope that their security may be marginally less intensive.

Israel isn't really know for it's slack border crossings.
You'll be appalled at how efficent they are if you're used to living in England.
I know the law. And I have spent my entire life in its flagrant disregard.
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby mountainwiccan » Wed Apr 20, 2011 9:01 pm

coldharvest wrote:
crossing via the Allenby Bridge (if it's open) with the hope that their security may be marginally less intensive.

Israel isn't really know for it's slack border crossings.
You'll be appalled at how efficent they are if you're used to living in England.



Shit is all I can say to that! Do you reckon they google individuals if they are feeling especially "efficient"
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby coldharvest » Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:38 pm

mountainwiccan wrote:Do you reckon they google individuals if they are feeling especially "efficient"

I don't know about the Israeli but Google was about 95% of Somalilands "Intelligence".
I know the law. And I have spent my entire life in its flagrant disregard.
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby redharen » Fri Apr 22, 2011 5:16 pm

This is a good question.

Whether you would be regarded as a security threat at Ben-Gurion depends on a lot of things, like how common your name is, whether it would be unquestionable that the person who signed a bunch of anti-Israel petitions was actually you, what those petitions were calling for (better treatment of Palestinians in vague terms? sanctions? violence? overthrow of the state?), how long ago you signed them, etc.

If you're traveling alone, though, that's a red flag that tends to get you singled out. If you're traveling with some kind of pilgrimage/tourist group, or if you're traveling with Israelis, you probably won't get any trouble at all. You might contact tour companies that do Israel tours because sometimes they like to get extra people on their flights (even if they don't sign on for the rest of the trip) because it helps them get group rates on airline tickets. Then you're coming in with a mob of tourists with matching hats and bags and you'll get no trouble.

Before you even get on the plane for Israel, of course, they'll ask you what your plans are, where you're going, who you're planning to visit, etc. In any case I wouldn't bring anything that makes it look like you're going to the West Bank (Arabic phrasebooks or anything like that) and I would have a plausible itinerary for places in Israel proper you might visit. It would be good, too, to have a list of Israeli contacts and places where you can say you're planning to stay.

I would say that overall, the chances of you actually being sent home if you tried to enter through Ben-Gurion would be really slim, and even more so if you consciously try to get rid of red flags and try to project a non-threatening image.

If you go in through the Allenby Bridge, like Cold says, you'll still be dealing with Israeli security, so they'll still ask you questions, but threat perceptions from that direction are different and I don't know what the M.O for turning people away is. I can say that several of my friends who studied in Amman last summer took a bus to East Jerusalem via the Allenby Bridge and didn't have any trouble. They were a bunch of lefties too, so you'll probably do OK if you go that way as well.
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby rickshaw92 » Mon Apr 25, 2011 9:41 pm

When did they change the name of the bridge from King Hussain to allenby? Next thing you know the vile douchebags will start calling the Gulf of Aquaba the gulf of elat!
Im reallly fuclimg pissed but fespite that I can still hit a tarfet at 1000m plus. mayVRVe bnot tonight but it qint beyond the wit if man. Nowhammy.
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby redharen » Sun May 01, 2011 4:31 pm

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=383790

JERICHO (Ma’an) -- Travelers returning to the West Bank from Jordan Sunday said hours-long lines saw them wait in buses transporting hundreds across the border terminal.

"We were trapped in the bus since almost five hours and we do not know what is going on," one frustrated traveler told Ma'an.
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Re: Better off crossing via the Allenby Bridge then Ben Guri

Postby ReptilianKittenEater » Mon May 02, 2011 2:48 am

redharen wrote:http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=383790

JERICHO (Ma’an) "We were trapped in the bus since almost five hours and we do not know what is going on," one frustrated traveler told Ma'an.


Sounds like a typical US/Canada border crossing.
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