The airport in east Jerusalem was used by Palestinians until the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel captured the area and other Palestinian territories.

'He demanded these authorities open Jerusalem airport in the Qalandia area, and remove obstacles to the movement of individuals and goods to and from Palestine,' a cabinet meeting statement said last month. Rather than permit Palestinians to fly from Ramon, some 180 kilometres (112 miles) south of the West Bank, Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on Israel to instead reopen Jerusalem airport. 'We're on an adventure since we are not used to travelling,' Sofiane added.

'Hopefully everything goes well here,' said fellow Palestinian pharmacist Rani, also declining to provide his surname, after arriving in Larnaca. The King Hussein (Allenby) crossing between Jordan and the West Bank last month saw 'an unprecedented rise in the number of travellers', a Jordanian official said. 'The security check was tricky, especially for the women,' he added, but 'things moved smoothly and here we are.' 'We were supposed to fly from Jordan but they managed to arrange a flight from the airport in Ramon,' Sofiane said, referring to the travel agency that organised the trip. Palestinians must instead make an overland crossing from the West Bank to Jordan, before boarding a flight in the country's capital Amman.

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