Disguised as his wife, Jordanian-Palestinian man detained at border crossing

43-year-old man sent back to Jordan after he tries to cross Allenby Bridge into West Bank dressed as woman, carrying wife’s passport

By ToI Staff 30 April 2022, 4:22 pm

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A Jordanian-Palestinian man who dressed up as a woman is detained at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between Israel and the West Bank, on April 30, 2022. (Israel Airports Authority)

A Jordanian-Palestinian man was detained Friday while attempting to enter the West Bank through the Allenby Bridge border crossing, dressed as a woman and carrying his wife’s passport.

According to the Israel Airports Authority — which also manages land crossings — the 43-year-old man, initially thought to be a 42-year-old woman, aroused the suspicion of security officials.

“During the security check, suspicion arose that this was not a lady, this was a gentleman,” the authority said in a statement. It added that he was using his wife’s passport.

“His body movements, which were a bit masculine, aroused suspicion,” a source at the border crossing told the Ynet news site.

The man was returned back to Jordan after questioning, the authority said. According to Ynet, he told interrogators he had donned the disguise because he did not want his entry through the Israeli crossing to be recorded.