Driving from Jerusalem via the West Bank to the Dead Sea/Masada

Thanks for the info...I'm planning on driving to Dead Sea tomorrow from Jerusalem with my 20 year old son.

He's here in Israel for the year volunteering in a kibbutz and has a volunteers VISA stamp in his USA passport. He's concerned that following hwy 1 to the Dead Sea may invalidate his visa by "leaving" Israel only allowing him to stay in Israel a short time (something about once he leaves Israel, he can only stay back in Israel the same length of time he was gone?)....which would amount to a couple of hours.

Is this a potential problem?

Thanks for your help

Fromsfca, it's a shame that some with a political agenda hostile to Israel are confusing you.

Again I repeat - the drive on Hwy 1 and Hwy 90 to the Dead Sea is the single most heavily travelled route by tourists in rental cars in Israel! You will NOT be leaving Israel. There is absolutely no problem in doing this.

The drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea does cross through the Palestinian Territory, and you will be required to carry your passport with you to go through the two checkpoints, one at the entrance and one at the end of the crossing. You will be driving among both Israeli and Palestinian cars since the major Palestinian city of Jericho is located on that road - notice how car plates differ. Why some here are desperately trying to hide this fact is a total mystery to me. Please note that I never said that it was dangerous to drive on that road.

While catw sometimes contributes valuable information for tourists to this forum, in this case he/she is terribly misleading you.

I will repeat once again - The drive east of Jerusalem on Hwy 1 and south on Hwy 90 does take you through some territory that Israel conquered from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War. These roads are NOT, however, located in territories administered by the Palestinians. You will be driving near Jericho and can see the city off to the left of Hwy 1, but the road bypasses that Palestinian city entirely.

There is a single checkpoint on the journey from Jerusalem to Masada will be on Hwy 90 going south. I have accompanied tourists on that journey countless times. Never has our car been stopped and never have the tourists been asked to present a passport. Even if they were asked to do so, the Israeli authorities will NOT be viewing this as entering or exiting Israel. On the way back to Jerusalem, there is a single checkpoint on Hwy 1 near Ma'ale Adumim. I have never seen tourists being asked to produce passports there either and even if it happens, the authorities will never consider that a "re-entry" of the tourist into Israel.

As I said, the drive from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi / Dead Sea does cross through the Palestinian Territory - this is the reason why you will have to pass through two checkpoints (take your passport with you).

If you were driving in Israel, there would be no checkpoints. The latter are only installed between Israel and the Palestinian territory, not inside Israel.

Why some desperately try to hide this fact is a total mystery to me. As I said before, the road is not dangerous and quite pleasant as you drive past several monasteries and several picturesque Palestinian village and cities. As it is partly controlled by the Israeli army, you have the right to drive Israeli rental cars along it.

[http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Jericho_closure0304_600.pdf]

Catw has NOT addressed the concern of fromsfca. The Israeli authorities will NOT be viewing travel on these roads as exiting and re-entering Israel. Hence, his son's visa will NOT be invalidated by using these roads.

Catw totally misunderstands what I've been saying. I've said time and again that these two roads DO, indeed, pass through territory that Israel conquered from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (NOT from the "Palestinians") in the 1967 Six Day War.

However, these roads cannot be compared to other roads in the West Bank that connect the major Palestinian cities because they do NOT enter any Palestinian city as all.

Dave, this road goes to Jericho, one of the biggest Palestinian cities!

I have driven Hwy 1 countless times. Never have I been to Jericho, nor am I permitted to go there. Stop lying catw! One can see Jericho from a distance from Hwy 1, but the road does NOT enter nor exit Jericho. One must LEAVE Hwy 1 and head north through a checkpoint to enter the Palestinian city of Jericho.

Catw, it sounds like you have not driven our roads in many years, if at all.

It's amusing that catw has supplied a link to a map that contradicts her claims and proves Dave's point to the letter (and not for the first time)- if you look at the bottom right (south east) corner of the map you can clearly see that road #1 passes by Mitzpe Yerikho on the way to Beit Ha-Arava where it meets road #90. At no point does either road enter the city of Jericho or any other Palestinian controlled territory. A quick look here http://goo.gl/maps/xiCks will also provide the same info.
The road does cross land claimed by the Palestinians that is currently held and administered by Israel but that is for a political and NON RELEVANT debate.

As all (but one) have written, you may drive Israeli rental cars on these roads, they are 100% controlled by the Israeli army/police, and travelling on these roads will not invalidate your visa.
Tourists should always carry a photo ID with them when traveling.

Hwy 1 between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea does cross through the Palestinian territory.

When driving on this road, you start in Jerusalem. Ten minutes later you enter the Palestinian territory through a major checkpoint controlled by the Israeli army. You will then drive along the highway past Palestinian Bedouin communities, and then past the Israeli settlement of Ma'ale Adunim. After that you will the drive past a number of Palestinian villages and Israeli settlements, and past several remarkable natural sites (Wadi Qelt, St George monastery, Nabi Musa) before reaching the entrance of the big Palestinian city of Jericho. You will keep driving straight for a little while after which you will be turning right as you've reached the Dead Sea. You will drive straight along the Dead Sea till you reach another checkpoint manned by the Israeli army - at this point you're leaving the Palestinian territory and reentering Israel. After that you keep driving till you reach Ein Gedi.

You cannot go from Jerusalem to the Israeli part of the Dead Sea without driving through the Palestinian territory.

Hwy 1 road is used by Palestinians living in Ramallah to commute to Jericho. You will see cars with both Israeli and Palestinian plates all the way in the section which lies in the Palestinian territory.