Wadi Araba Crossing

The Yitzhak Rabin Terminal is the southernmost Israel–Jordan border crossing, approximately three kilometers north of Eilat.[5] It is also known as the Arava Terminal and Wadi Araba Crossing; the Israeli terminal was renamed for Yitzhak Rabin after having been called the Arava Terminal.[7][2] The southern Arava crossing, also rendered Wadi al-ʿArabah, is distinct from the northern Jordan River crossing near Beit Shean, which is also known as Sheikh Hussein Bridge.[7]

The crossing combines a practical role in movement between the two countries with a place in the history of their peace agreement: it serves passengers and commerce, while the treaty itself records its conclusion at the “Arava/Araba Crossing Point.”[3][6] Tourism through the terminal has included organized excursions from Eilat to Petra, individual travel, and journeys to Aqaba.[5][8]

The Washington Declaration of July 25, 1994, called for two new crossings between Israel and Jordan: one at the southern tip of Aqaba–Eilat and another at a mutually agreed northern location.[9] These openings formed part of a program to overcome psychological barriers and the legacy of war, alongside regional infrastructure planning and negotiations on boundaries, security, and water.[10]

The Arava crossing opened to travelers from third countries during the summer of 1994, before opening to Israeli and Jordanian citizens following the peace treaty.[1] Terminal manager Aryeh Zaks later identified August 1994 as its first month of operation and said that he had managed it from its first day.[8]

On October 26, 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Jordanian Prime Minister Abdul Salam Majali signed the peace treaty at the Arava/Araba crossing point, with U.S. President Bill Clinton witnessing the agreement.[3] More than 4,500 guests attended the ceremony.[4] Among those present were Jordan’s King Hussein, Israeli President Ezer Weizman, and U.S. Secretary of State Warren Christopher.[11] Rabin, Majali, Hussein, Weizman, Shimon Peres, and Clinton participated in the ceremony, with Hussein, Weizman, Peres, and Clinton joining in a handshake.[2]

The agreement established diplomatic relations and made Jordan the second Arab country, after Egypt, to sign a peace agreement with Israel.[12] Its Hebrew, English, and Arabic texts were equally authentic, with the English version prevailing in the event of divergent interpretation.[1]

The ceremony emphasized the opportunity to connect the neighboring cities and their peoples.[13] Hussein spoke of Eilat and Aqaba being in “such close proximity,” yet previously unable to meet, visit one another, or develop the area together.[13] Rabin described the Araba landscape as barren and called for the two peoples to overcome the divisions between them.[13] After the signing, he said that “for nearly two generations, desolation pervaded the heart of our two peoples” and that the time had come “not merely to dream of a better future—but to realize it.”[12] Clinton called the site “the first of many crossing points to be open.”[13]

Early implementation distinguished between tourist movement and freight transport.[1] An interim arrangement allowed tour buses to cross, but the lack of a broader transportation agreement complicated commerce because trucks and aircraft carrying goods were not permitted to cross.[1] A transportation accord signed in early November 1995 envisaged private cars crossing the national frontiers and direct bus services between Israeli and Jordanian cities.[1] Broader bilateral links subsequently included nonstop bus and air services between Amman and Tel Aviv beginning in mid-1996, followed in 1997 by a pilot project for Israel-bound flights using Aqaba airport.[14]

The Wadi Araba Crossing closed at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.[15] Israel subsequently announced that Israelis would again be able to enter and leave Jordan through the terminal from July 4, 2021.[15]

Article 13 of the peace treaty commits Israel and Jordan to open and maintain roads and border crossings between their countries.[3] It provides for the movement of each country’s nationals and vehicles under the general rules applicable to those of other states, without discriminatory taxes or restrictions.[3] The article also calls for consideration of additional road and rail links and continued transportation negotiations, including a proposed highway near Eilat connecting Egypt, Israel, and Jordan.[3]

Annex V established interim procedures for crossing points generally, allowing passage in both directions by Israelis, Jordanians, and third-country nationals.[16] Each country was to apply its own regulations and recognize the other’s passports and visas.[16] The annex specified opening Sunday through Thursday from 08:00 to 18:30, except on Yom Kippur and the first day of the Al Hijrah calendar; these were treaty provisions rather than a statement of present operating hours.[16]

The annex’s arrangements were to take effect the day after the exchange of ratification instruments, with interim passage and visa rules implemented within up to three months unless the parties agreed on a shorter period.[16] Israeli and Jordanian tourists were to travel by shuttle bus between the terminals and continue in the destination country in vehicles supplied by travel agents.[16]

The treaty also called for negotiations on the joint development of Aqaba and Eilat.[17] Possible areas of cooperation included tourism, customs, a free-trade zone, aviation, pollution prevention, maritime matters, policing, and health.[17] Relevant agreements were to be concluded within nine months of the exchange of ratifications.[17]

Organized one-day trips to Petra accounted for most outbound passengers described in a 2017 Israeli government guide, generally departing from Eilat hotels; individual travel was also customary.[5] Access to the terminal was described as possible by taxi, shared service taxi from Eilat, or private vehicle.[5] Travelers could take their cars into Jordan or leave them in the adjacent parking lot.[5]

Israeli departure figures show variation in use of the crossing over time.[18] Approximately 57,000 Israeli departures were recorded in 2013 and 56,000 in 2014, compared with 41,500 in 2017 and 53,300 in 2018.[18] The 2018 total represented an increase of 28 percent over the previous year; these figures measure departures rather than unique travelers or total two-way traffic.[18]

An April 2024 report described a sharp holiday-period increase in Israeli Arab travel through the terminal to Aqaba.[8] Zaks said that hundreds of cars queued to enter on February 6 and that thousands of Israeli Arabs crossed, a level of traffic on that day unlike anything he had seen during his years managing the terminal.[8] He attributed the choice of Aqaba partly to the absence of flights from Israel to Turkey at the time.[8]

The terminal also handles freight.[6] Tax-authority figures for 2015–2024 recorded imports worth NIS 760 million entering Israel through the Rabin Crossing and approximately NIS 80 million in direct taxes collected on those goods.[6] Israel’s three land crossings with Jordan collectively serve goods originating in Jordan and provide a land gateway for goods arriving from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.[6]

During February 28–March 3, 2026, the Rabin Crossing recorded 3,147 departures from Israel and 2,863 arrivals.[19] Land crossings were a principal route out of Israel during that period because the initial evacuation flights at Ben Gurion Airport were inbound rather than outbound.[19]

Published operating schedules must be read in their historical context.[16][19] A June 2021 government guide listed the Yitzhak Rabin Terminal’s hours as 06:30–20:00 Sunday through Thursday and 08:00–20:00 on Friday and Saturday, with closures on Yom Kippur and the Muslim New Year.[20] A report covering early March 2026 listed the same passenger hours and stated that private vehicles were accepted until 19:00; it does not guarantee the current schedule.[19]

The June 2021 guide described the crossing as serving Israelis and foreign tourists, with an exception for residents of the Territories.[20] The U.S. travel advisory for Jordan identifies the southern crossing as Yitzhak Rabin and refers to the Eilat and Wadi Araba crossing near Aqaba, where Jordanian immigration officials issue 30-day visas on arrival for a fee.[21] Border requirements can change, and borders may close during holidays or periods of heightened security.[21]

A vehicle-document requirement effective March 1, 2026, directs people departing Israel for Jordan or Egypt in private vehicles to arrive with their vehicle registration license already translated into English.[22] Translation services are no longer provided at the Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin (Taba), and Jordan River crossings; travelers are directed to authorized photo stations for that service.[22]

In a 2024 weapons-smuggling incident, Israeli police said soldiers and customs inspectors discovered 74 Glock handguns and 61 magazines in a vehicle attempting to enter Israel from Jordan at the crossing.[23] The driver and passenger were arrested, and police did not specify the shipment’s intended destination in the reported account.[23]

In October 2024, lawyers for two defendants charged in connection with alleged weapons smuggling through the crossing argued that the terminal was not within Israeli sovereign territory and that this could affect the prosecution.[24] They sought examination of the issue before trial in the Beersheba District Court, with one lawyer proposing expert evidence in support of the claim.[24] This was a defense argument, not a reported judicial finding about the crossing’s status.[24]