Everything you need to know about entering and exiting The West Bank
Here is everything you need to know about entering and exiting Palestine. Although Israeli law prohibits Israeli citizens from entering Bethlehem unless they have permission from the Israeli Civil Administration, tourists are permitted to enter, exit, and return to Jerusalem as often as they like with no restrictions.
What to bring with you
To enter and exit the Palestinian areas, be sure you have your passport and the tourist visa issued by Israel with you.
While some restaurants and souvenir shops will accept major credit cards, you should bring cash with you. In Bethlehem, you can pay with Shekels, USD, and Euros.
How to get to Bethlehem
There are multiple ways you can get to Bethlehem: you can get there by car, bus, taxi, tour bus, or simply walk there. Just keep in mind that if you rent a car in Israel, it will not be insured for driving around Palestine.
We took the 231 bus from Jerusalem which is scheduled to arrive every 15 minutes, but we waited for about half an hour at the bus station. The bus ticket costs 5.5 NIS and you have to pay in cash.
Entering Bethlehem
We were surprised to discover that entering the West Bank only involved taking a regular bus from point A to point B—there was no actual border crossing, no passport check, or anything else.
Leaving Bethlehem
The process of leaving Bethlehem is very different from entering it.
This time, a checkpoint will be required whether you choose to enter Jerusalem on foot, by car, or by bus.
Exiting Bethlehem, we chose to go through Checkpoint 300. Checkpoint 300 also known as the Bethlehem checkpoint, the Gilo Checkpoint, or the Rachel’s Tomb checkpoint, is one of the main exists in Bethlehem.
As we approached the checkpoint, we noticed there was a long line of people waiting; we couldn’t even make out the end of it.
The majority of those in the line were Palestinians, making us the probably only foreigners there. In a disorganised line of people who were constantly pushing and shoving their way through, we waited for about an hour before we reached the head of the line.
There was a remotely controlled rotating door before the area where the Israeli border guards scanned your bag and your ID.
Approximately 5 people could pass through the door at a time, which was only opened every 5 to 10 minutes.
When you finally pass through security, you must first run your bag through a scanner. Foreigners can then proceed without having their IDs checked, while Palestinians must scan their IDs.
If there are no actual problems, the entire process takes less than three minutes, but the door would be opened again after a considerable amount of time. As a result, there was an excessive amount of traffic at the checkpoint, which Palestinians must endure every day to enter Israel.
Overall, we advise you to equip yourself with a lot of patience, but if you get the chance, make sure to visit The West Bank.
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