Al-Karameh الكرامة | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Coordinates:31°57′06″N35°34′48″E / 31.95167°N 35.58000°E /31.95167; 35.58000 | |
| PAL | 204/151 |
| Country | |
| Governorate | Balqa Governorate |
Al-Karameh (Arabic:الكرامة), or simplyKarameh, is a town in west-centralJordan, near theAllenby Bridge which spans theJordan River.
Karameh sits on the eastern bank of the river, along the border between Jordan andPalestine. One of several Jordanian-Palestinian border crossings is located here, this particular crossing is known in Jordan as the King Hussein Bridge. The town was the location of a15-hour military engagement between theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF) and combined forces of thePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and theJordanian Armed Forces (JAF) in theJordanian town of Karameh on 21 March 1968, during theWar of Attrition. In the aftermath of the battle, PLO's strength began to grow, and the Palestinian militant group began to speak openly of overthrowing the JordanianHashemite monarchy, and the ensuing tensions between the Palestinians and the Jordanian authorities eventually precipitated their expulsion from Jordan and subsequent exile to Lebanon during the events ofBlack September, or Jordanian Civil War, in 1970.[1]