AMMAN, Sept 21 (AFP/Reuters/AP): Jordan said it partially reopened its border crossing with the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sunday, three days after closing it following an attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
"The crossing reopened Sunday for travellers only, while the movement of cargo trucks remains suspended until further notice," an official statement said.
State broadcaster Al-Mamlaka reported heavy traffic in both directions from early in the morning.
The Allenby crossing is the only gateway Palestinians in the West Bank can use to travel abroad without passing through Israel, which has occupied the territory since 1967.
Pope decries 'forced
exile' of Gaza civilians
Pope Leo spoke out against the forced displacement of Gaza civilians on Sunday as Israel intensified its military demolition campaign in the Palestinian enclave's main city.
"Together with the pastors of the churches in the Holy Land, I repeat that there is no future based on violence, forced exile, and revenge,"
the Pope said during his weekly
Angelus prayer.
The Holy Land encompasses parts of modern-day Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Egypt, that are sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Leo's role in advocating for peace in Gaza has become starker since Israel struck the territory's only Catholic church in July.
"The peoples need peace. Those who truly love them work for peace," the first pope from the United States added.
French mayors to fly
Palestinian flags
despite govt orders
Several French mayors plan to fly Palestinian flags on town halls in defiance of government orders, as France prepares to formally recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly.
It's unclear how many cities will join the initiative on Monday after Socialist leader Olivier Faure's call to fly the flags, despite warnings from the Interior Ministry against such displays in a country with both Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim populations.
But the call has been gaining momentum as Palestinian flags have been more and more visible in France over the nearly two-year war in Gaza.
Bereaved Israelis urge
Palestinian state
recognition
After militants killed his parents during Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, Maoz Inon vowed to reject revenge and choose a path of reconciliation-for his own healing and his country's.
The 49-year-old is among thousands of Israelis now calling on the international community to formally recognise the State of Palestine ahead of a UN summit next week where several Western countries are set to do just that.
For Inon, a tourism entrepreneur who became involved in the peace movement around 20 years ago, dialogue, recognition and forgiveness on both sides are key to a secure future for the region.
"By revenging the death, we are not going to bring them back to life. And we're only going to escalate the cycle of violence, bloodshed, and revenge we've been trapped within, not since October 7, but for a century," he said.
When militants attacked Israel, Inon said he "wasn't surprised" after the years of "occupying, oppressing and walling between us and the other side".
