Hundreds, if not thousands, of British citizens, most of whom are Jewish, are currently stranded in Israel.
Some may not wish to leave at this time. Others will, for any number of reasons, including family, work commitments or simply because they do not have the resources for an extended stay.
But there are significant difficulties in returning home. Israeli airspace is understandably closed to commercial aircraft, due to the constant threat of missile attack.
There are five different exit options – three crossings into Jordan and one into Egypt, plus the possibility of a boat to Cyprus. The Jewish News spoke to British citizens either in Israel or back in the UK, who have set out ways in which the Foreign Office could be helping UK citizens to get home.
Chartered transit
–       The British government could charter boats to take British citizens to Cyprus, from which point they would be able to journey back to the UK with relative ease. This method was used earlier in the week by the Birthright tour group, which chartered two cruise ships for the purpose.
–       The British government could also charter planes to fly from Amman, the Jordanian capital, either to Cyprus or directly back to the UK.
–       Short of those two things, the FCDO could do what some other countries have already done – specifically charter busses to take nationals to the border crossing, have diplomats on the busses to ease the border crossing itself, then have the busses drive in Jordan directly to the airport.
–       Those opting to use any such a service provided by the Government could be charged a fee to do so.
Border crossings
As things stand, individuals or small groups have attempted to make their way across one of the border crossings, either into Jordan or Egypt.
A few days ago, the FCDO announced that it would be deploying officials to border crossings in Jordan. Unfortunately A number of the people the Jewish News spoke to said they had not seen any sign of such officials when attempting to cross.
It was suggested that such officials would be better placed to be on the Israeli side – in a central place, with a UK flag or a sign to identify them – in order to help British citizens. Even better, perhaps, would be one official on the Israeli side and another on the Jordanian side, who could directly talk to each other in the event of any difficulties or misunderstandings as people try to cross the border.
Either way, the FCDO could, either via its local social media accounts or on its relevant web pages regarding travel for each of the relevant countries, inform people that its staff will be present in a certain place between certain times.
Visa advice
There is a lack of clarity as to whether one can buy visas at different crossings. At the Taba crossing with Egypt and the Jordan river crossing near Beit She’an, visas can be purchased on the spot. It is not entirely clear whether one can purchase a visa at the Rabin crossing between Eilat and Aqaba.
No information on this is currently available on the relevant FCDO website pages, and it would be helpful if this could be remedied.
The Allenby bridge crossing is likely the easiest for most UK citizens in Israel to reach, given its central location, but because Jordan does not consider the side controlled by Israel to be Israeli territory, it does not consider it to be an international border crossing, meaning that one cannot buy a Visa there.
However, the Jewish News spoke to a British citizen who wondered whether the FCDO could arrange an agreement with the Jordanian authorities, to enable someone who could show proof of a plane ticket from Amman to purchase a visa from there.
The Jewish News has also contacted the FCDO with these suggestions.
