Palestinians Stranded in Jordan Gradually Return Home

Arab World

May 4th, 7:16am

Ramallah - Asharq Al-Awsat

A Palestinian woman, wearing a mask as a preventive measure against coronavirus, upon her return from abroad, at Rafah border crossing in Gaza March 8, 2020. (Reuters)

Five hundred Palestinians, who were stranded in Jordan due to the COVID-19 crisis, arrived Sunday at the Karama border crossing in Jericho. They are the first group of travelers who will be returned to their homes as part of a four-day government plan to bring back Palestinians stuck in neighboring Jordan. Crews from the Ministry of Health carried out the necessary coronavirus tests on the travelers before they can be sent to their homes. Col. Mustafa Dawabsheh, director of the Karama border crossing police, said 2,000 other stranded Palestinians are scheduled to gradually return to the territories in the coming days. Abeer Ramahi, chief of protocol of the Foreign Ministry, stated that most of those stranded in Jordan are university students or patients who sought medical treatment before the border was closed. Ramahi lauded Jordan’s role and readiness to cooperate with the Palestinian authorities to facilitate their return. A total of 500 stranded citizens will be brought back each day, said the foreign ministry. Every passenger was allowed one backpack but no luggage. There are around 1,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt and around 1,800 in Turkey, while hundreds of others are in various countries. Palestine cannot organize their return without coordinating with Jordan, which shares the West Bank’s only outlet to the world.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2266516/palestinians-stranded-jordan-gradually-return-home