My American-Palestinian cousins, the Awad family, have a routine for whenever they come to visit us in Jerusalem. They try to avoid flying into Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv because if the Israelis refuse them entry – as happens to many Americans because of their national origin, religion, or public criticism of Israel – they would have to fly back all the way to the US.Instead, they usually enter Palestine from Jordan through the King Hussein Bridge Border Crossing. As an occupying power, Israel still operates the Palestinian side of this crossing. So when entering the occupied West Bank through that crossing, the Awads still face the Israeli discriminatory practices, but at least if they get denied, it would mean just a return to Jordan.My cousins also choose to travel via Jordan because they can leave their phones with relatives in Amman and not have to hand them over to the Israelis at the border. Electronics get searched for – among other things – any criticism of Israel or support for the boycott movement, which immediately results in refusal of entry.
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