"Palestinians Overjoyed at Making It to the Holy Land"

That's the headline in the Arab News today (December 9) published in Saudi Arabia.

"The Holy Land" doesn't refer to Palestinian Arabs exercising their "right of return" to Palestine, or to Israel or even to al Quds (Jerusalem). The headline refers to Palestinians making their pilgrimage, their Haj, to their holy land in Mecca, Saudi Arabia for the Eid Al-Adha holiday.

Mecca and Medina are the holiest sites to Sunni Muslims. The al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem is considered their third holy site. While Shiite Muslims also revere Mecca and Medina, their next holiest sites are the mosques/tombs of the 12 Shiite imams in places like Najaf and Karbala in Iraq and Qom in Iran.

According to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Israel Never Prevented Palestinians from Making the Haj Pilgrimage Like Hamas Does. The Jerusalem Post reported, "PA leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of preventing thousands of Palestinians from making the annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Israel Radio reported Saturday. Abbas told reporters in Mecca that Israel had never once prevented Palestinians from making the holy visit. Palestinians wishing to travel to Saudi Arabia through Egypt were not given permits."

Sphere: Related Content