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

Hi,

Would I expect any problems driving from Jerusalem through the West Bank to the Dead Sea/Masada & back in terms of line ups or delays? Realistic to consider for a long day trip?

I have also heard only certain car rental companies allow you to drive through the Palestinian territories - does that apply to the route I want to take?

Thanks

Huge numbers of people do this as a day trip. It is NOT a big deal! I had company and did it myself this summer. The hardest part is finding the start of highway 1 in Jerusalem. You then follow the signs.

ALL car rental companies allow you to do this. Rentals can not be taken into areas that are under the control of the Palestinian Authority. The area you are driving through is under the control of Israel and it is a political discussion as to whether they are or are not really Palestinian. ( which I won't get into unless certain others start in)

Let me put an end to your confusion.

The entire lengths of Hwy 90 and Hwy 1 are fully under the administration of ISRAEL, are completely safe for all to drive (including tourists) and are fully covered by insurance for Israeli rental cars.

Portions of these roads run through areas that technically speaking are part of territories conquered by Israel in the 1967 Six Day War. However, both roads (including the roads leading from Jerusalem to Masada) are so much in the consensus in Israel that most Israelis are not even aware that these roads run through portions of the "West Bank."

You will NOT be driving through Palestinian administered territories at all when you travel from Jerusalem to Masada via Hwy 1 east and Hwy 90 south. You have nothing to worry about it. Tourists do this drive all the time.

Enjoy!

Thansk very much for the clear answers!

Cheers

Andrew

Agree with the above.
Israel rental cars can be taken anywhere where Israel is in full control of security, which means anywhere except those areas under full Palestinian Authority control ("Areas A"). Since highways 1 and 90 from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea do NOT go through "Areas A", there is no problem taking a rental car along this route.

What you've been told here is not accurate.

When you drive from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, the road does cross through the Palestinian territory. You will be driving among Palestinian cars and past Palestinian cities villages, including Jericho. You will also drive past Israeli settlements established in that part of the Palestinian territory. You will have to cross checkpoints at the beginning and at the end of the road, when you leave and then reenter Israel, so take your passport with you and all the documentation of the car as well.

The road is currently controlled by the Israeli army. As a result, Israeli rental companies authorize their customers to drive on that road.

For any other travel in the Palestinian territory, you need to rent a car from East Jerusalem, as only these rentals allow you to drive in both Israel and the Palestinian territory.

#5 (catw)

What everyone wrote is completely accurate. If you think otherwise, please point out what specifically is wrong in any of the posts. All you are doing is - as usual - interjecting your political agenda. Nobody said whether the WB is Israeli or Palestinian territory, since that would be a political statement, which contributes absolutely nothing towards answering OP's question. You still don't understand that, as far as the average tourist is concerned, the fact whether it is Palestinian territory or not is totally irrelevant . So why do you keep insisting on posting your superfluous political agenda?

The West Bank is part of the Palestinian territory, along with East Jerusalem and Gaza. This is a fact.

Our fellow traveler politely asked whether the road to the Dead Sea crossed the Palestinian territory or not – yes it does.

Catw, I must interject here. You are only confusing tourists by your political comments.

YES, Hwy 1 east of Jerusalem does enter territories occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War. But Hwy 1 and Hwy 90 are the EXCEPTIONS to every rule. Most Israelis are not even aware of any controversy concerning these two specific roads, so Western tourists will definitely not even notice they have entered any sort of different territory than Jerusalem or Ein Gedi for that matter.

From a tourist's point of view, the journey to Masada from Jerusalem via Hwy 1 East to Hwy 90 south is completely seamless and safe. The tourist has nothing to worry about driving on these two roads and the rental car policy is fully being respected.

You make it sound like this is an unusual journey. It's in fact the most popular route that any tourist renting a car in Israel will take in order to reach our number 1 most visited National Park - Masada.

#7 (catw)

Our fellow traveler politely asked whether the road to the Dead Sea crossed the Palestinian territory or not – yes it does.

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No he did not. He assumed in his question (rightly or wrongly) that the route crossed through Palestinian territory. That is why he was asking it. Again, stop interjecting your superfluous political opinions . Whether you are right or wrong is irrelevant. They contribute absolutely nothing to answering OP's question. As davetheguide said, you are only confusing tourists.

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.

I shouldn't even bother responding to catw's anti-Israel mis-information anymore. It's unfortunate that he/she is so very much confusing the tourists for whom this forum is intended.

When leaving Jerusalem and heading EAST on Hwy 1, one does NOT, I repeat NOT go through any major checkpoint. The checkpoint is in the OPPOSITE direction for those heading WEST on Hwy 1.

The next part of catw's statement is correct. The highway leads passed the Palestinian city of Jericho (BUT NOT through that city which is off limits to Israeli citizens like myself).

I"m amused by catw's reference to the "Palestinian coast of the Dead Sea." Israel conquered that area from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the Six Day War. So I suppose if you'd like to be anti-Israel, you should refer to that section of road as "Jordanian."

Further south along Hwy 90 there is indeed a small checkpoint. You will NOT be exiting and re-entering Israeli territory from an Israeli point of view, hence no visa will become invalidated at that point. Interestingly enough, the above mentioned checkpoint isn't even located exactly on the Green Line, but rather a bit north of the former border between Jordan and Israel.

Tourists, do yourselves a favor and do NOT rely upon the so-called advice from catw, who clearly has an anti-Israel point of view.

Dave, it is physically impossible to go from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi without crossing through the Palestinian territory! Almost two-thirds of the western shore of the Dead Sea lies within the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.

[www.lonelyplanet.com/israel-and-the-palestinian-territories/the-west-bank-and-gaza-strip/jericho]
[http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_jordan_valley_factSheet_february_2012_english.pdf]

When driving on HW1, you have to go through two checkpoints manned by the Israeli army, one when you leave Israel and cross into the Palestinian territory, and one when you leave the Palestinian territory and reenter Israel.

There is no issue with visas since the Israeli army occupies the Palestinian territory.

It is physically impossible not to enter territory conquered by Israel from JORDAN when heading east on Hwy 1. Who's to say this is "Palestinian territory"? In any event, the answer is NOT RELEVANT to TOURISTS. Tourists will have no sense of moving from one country to another.

catw lies when he/she says you go through a checkpoint when heading EAST on Hwy 1. It's simply NOT the case. You will go through a checkpoint when you return to Jerusalem heading WEST on Hwy 1, but only in the westerly direction.

Thank you for your information...I am driving East on 1, then south on 90..leaving Arad Fri morning coming back north on 31, to 40 to 6...bypassing Jerusalem entirely....

fromsfca, you won't exactly be bypassing Jerusalem. Assuming you're heading east on Hwy 1 from the Med coast, just before the entrance to the city of Jerusalem, you'll see signs indicating "Mt Scopus". You'll want to follow in that direction at which time Hwy 1 does run right through the northern edge of Jerusalem on its way east. As posted earlier, your son will have ZERO visa problems. Enjoy!

#19 (catw)

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

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No. It crosses through territory captured by Israel during the June 1967 war with Jordan, commonly called the"West Bank". Those are the facts . Calling it "Palestinian territory" is a political opinion , not a fact. There was never an independent state of Palestine and, as such, international borders were never set between Israel and the Palestinians. Therefore, calling any part of the WB Israeli or Palestinian is a political opinion , not a fact.

davetheguide....thanks for your help...we've been in Jerusalem for two days...already drove across Mt Scopus and Mt of Olives....with trusty GPS in hand, we've successfully navigated most of Israel so far.

Thanks for all of your help....Anthony

Did this drive today; Jerusalem to Arad (Thurs Oct 4 2012)...no problems...great roads, little traffic, one checkpoint manned by three bored soldiers....we held up our US passports and they said "Enjoy your trip".....waved us through....

Piece o cake

How interesting to hear fromsfca. I guess I was correct after all. Catw would learned so much about the reality on the ground if he/she were to have accompanied you on this journey.