Getting into Israel wasn't too tough but it took a bit of time. When we were planning the trip, we found a lot of old, out-of-date information on the process, so I probably should include specific details.
1) We took a shared taxi arranged by the hotel to the Jordanian side of the King Hussein / Allenby Bridge. It was about a 45 minute trip. As we shared a taxi, we paid JD 10 each.
2) We walked into to the departure building. First, we filled out a slip of paper with name, nationality, and passport number. We handed it with passports to a guy at first window. He checks to see whether one has been in the country for more than 24 hours. If so, a 10 JD departure tax is levied. We paid thw money to a lady in the adjoining window. He kept the passports.
3) We waited momentarily in the building for a nearly full bus to depart.
4) Next, we were asked to go into the modern, cold, air conditioned bus. We paid a fee of 7 JD each with an additional 1.5 JD for each bag placed under the bus. As others went through the process they joined us. Eventually, a very friendly officer came to give us our passports, person by person.
5) After we all were accounted for, after about a half an hour, the bus took us over the bridge-way. We did have to wait about 20 minutes on the Israeli side for a traffic light to change for our bus to bring us to the arrival section.
6) We had small bags so we carried and waited in line. There was quite a long queue. It was hot but misting fans were blowing. After a while we got to the place to drop the bags on a conveyor for inside checking and we went to a girl at a window who put a sticker on our passport.
7) We entered the building and went through an airport type metal detector and search.
8) Finally, we went inside to wait to speak to the actual immigration officers. There were only two windows open when we were there, so we waited another 20 minutes in the queue.
9) A long series of question were asked to some entrants, but I only answered that I expected to stay until June 6th for departure from Tel Aviv. We received our passports and a credit-card sized card from border control with our passport information as well as a scanned image of the passport photo.
10) Next, we went to the area to find our bags, and exited the building.
11) Bus tickets were sold for two different destinations. We choose Damascus Gate in Jerusalem and paid 42 shekels. The ride takes around 45 minutes. Finished: Amman to Jerusalem in about six, non-stressful hours.
We'd booked a hotel in Bethlehem, so we needed to proceed further and into the Palestinian Territories. We found Bus #21 very easily by walking down the road where the border bus had dropped us off. The bus stand is near the Damascus Gate and the modern tram rail lines.
This bus takes about 40 or 45 mintues. It is not many kilometers as the crow flies but the highway goes between the border walls. There is no checking when leaving Jerusalem. We got to the Al-Salam Hotel by taxi. We had a late lunch just off Manger Square. We are very near. We ended up going in the church which now stands in the location where Jesus was born.
