Israel has delayed the round-the-clock opening of the Allenby Crossing in the Jordan Valley, which is primarily used by West Bank Palestinians as their main exit point for foreign travel.
This marks the second delay in the project since Prime Minister Yair Lapid promised US President Joe Biden in July that he would expand the hours of operation at the crossing.
The US has insisted that Israel must hold to this latest Monday expansion date. On Sunday afternoon, the Transportation Ministry said that the plan had been delayed pending approval of the plan by Israel's Airport Authority's Board.
"The IAA board will convene tomorrow [Monday], but the chair of the board stopped all work on the pilot until the decision is taken," the ministry said.
Most Palestinians who live in the West Bank are barred from traveling through Ben-Gurion Airport. Instead, they cross into neighboring Jordan through Allenby and fly out of the Jordanian airport in Amman.
The absence of a 24-hour crossing adds additional costs and delays to such travel. The crossing is now open from 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
The announcement of the delays comes on the eve of President Isaac Herzog's trip to the US this week, where he is scheduled to meet with Biden.