Although Israel has technically been at “peace” with Jordan for 20 years, its not like they actually like us. A couple of years ago 6 Israeli tourists were attacked in a market simply because they were wearing skullcaps. That prompted Jordanian authorities to warn Israeli tourists to not look so Jewy if they plan to visit the Hasemite Kingdom.
Now according to TOI it seems that some Jewish Israeli tourists are simply being turned away at the border.
Avinoam Edry, a 25-year-old student at Shalem College in Jerusalem, arrived on Tuesday at the Jordan River Border Terminal, also known as the Sheikh Hussein Bridge or the Allenby Bridge, with the intention of touring Jordan for five days.
Edry came on a tour bus from Nazareth carrying mostly Israeli Arabs en route to Amman, but after having his passport stamped at the Israeli side of the bridge and paying the Israeli exit fee, he was told by the Jordanian tourism police at the border that he would not be allowed to enter the Hashemite Kingdom.
Ok, fair enough you say, some countries are strict on their entry policy for various reasons. In this case the reason given was that tourists must have a Jordanian guide or be travelling in a group. Only problem is that this seemingly reasonable policy is only valid if you happen to be Jewish.
The Arab Israelis on the bus were allowed to enter, even though they were not traveling as a group.
Its not that surprising really, and its just the latest example of how Israelis and Jews are routinely discriminated against. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
