Thousands of Palestinians are deprived by Israel to visit the holy places

By Mostafa al-Sawaf, IOL Correspondent

GAZA CITY, December 16 (IslamOnline.net) – Saudi Arabia decided to triple the number of Palestinian pilgrims this year from 3,500 to 10,000 persons, who will be chosen through a public lot, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday, December 16.

Sheikh Youssef Salama, acting Palestinian minister of endowments and religious affairs, told IslamOnline.net that the pilgrims would be fairly chosen from all Palestinian governorates.

But he said those who were barred last year by Israeli occupation forces from performing the fifth pillar of Islam will be excepted from the lot. 

Salama indicated that those aged above 50 will make up 70 percent of the pilgrims, while the remaining 30 percent would be for people under 50.

He added his ministry requested that Saudi King Fahd Bin Abd Al-Aziz hosts 1,000 members of the families of Palestinian martyrs as it has been always the case over the past few years.

He said that the Palestinian ministry of social affairs would register and choose the families of the martyrs.

According to the official, this will be the first time that Palestinian pilgrims land directly in the airport of Al-Madina Al-Munawara rather than the airport of King Abdul Aziz in Jeddah, which will make the trip much easier for them.

Salama asserted that the pilgrims will be comfortably accommodated in Makkah Al-Mukaramah and Al-Madina, recalling that a ministry delegation had visited Saudi Arabia last Ramadan to have a hands-on experience.

On road pilgrimage, he said the ministry invited bidder from northern and southern governorates, pointing out that everything was going as planned.

He added that the ministry will provide buses for air flight pilgrims when they arrive in Saudi Arabia, given that the kingdom can only provide half of the buses needed to meet the huge number of pilgrims flocking from the four corners of the globe.

Salama further said a media delegation, chiefly from the Qur'an Service of Palestine radio, Palestine satellite channel and reporters, will accompany the pilgrims and reassure their relatives and loved ones on a daily basis.

But despite the Saudi generosity, Israel remains an obstacle to the travel of Palestinian pilgrims.

In November, Israeli occupation forces deprived tens of Palestinian youths, women and elderly people from traveling to Makkah to perform Umrah (Lesser Pilgrimage) during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Last year, Israeli occupation authorities prevented all Palestinians under 35 from leaving for the pilgrimage.