The Temple Mount and the Tallit

Here:

That appears to me a Jewish man accompanying MK Moshe Feiglin this past Sunday and he is wearing a tallit, the ritual prayer shawl.

Now, that is news.

P.S.  Normally, all outward symbols of Jewishness with religious significance, except a kippah, are prohibited from view or use including tefillin, siddurim, etc.

Muslims can play soccer, though:

P.P.S.  A video clip of the travails of Jews at the Temple Mount. ^

Hamas Ceasefire Demand Number 8

Did you read the eighth point?

Source

8. Israel should ease the access to and give permits 

to worshippers from Gaza strip to Al-Aqsa mosque. 

Writes NBC:-

This has nothing to do with the Gaza conflict, and would merely be a reward for Hamas’ violence, handing it a big propaganda victory among Palestinians.

Well, there is one good thing about that.

Israel can now engage in discussions for Jewish free access to the Temple Mount with rights to worship.

Correct?

Thank you Hamas for enabling us to put that on the table.

^

Obama Supports Jewish Prayer on the Temple Mount

IMRA sent me the remarks of Barack Obama, President of the United States, spoken at the National Prayer Breakfast event at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

He noted that

...as Americans, we affirm the freedoms endowed by our Creator, among them freedom of religion.  And, yes, this freedom safeguards religion, allowing us to flourish as one of the most religious countries on Earth, but it works the other way, too -- because religion strengthens America.  Brave men and women of faith have challenged our conscience and brought us closer to our founding ideals, from the abolition of slavery to civil rights, workers’ rights.

and continued

I’ve felt the love that faith can instill in our lives during my visits to the Holy Land and Jerusalem -- sacred to Jews and Christians and Muslims...I’ve felt the compassion of so many faith leaders around the world...Yet even as our faith sustains us, it’s also clear that around the world freedom of religion is under threat.  And that is what I want to reflect on this morning. 

and he emphasized:

We sometimes see religion twisted in an attempt to justify hatred and persecution against other people just because of who they are, or how they pray or who they love.  Old tensions are stoked, fueling conflicts along religious lines...even though to harm anyone in the name of faith is to diminish our own relationship with God.  Extremists succumb to an ignorant nihilism that shows they don’t understand the faiths they claim to profess -- for the killing of the innocent is never fulfilling God’s will; in fact, it’s the ultimate betrayal of God’s will.
Today, we profess the principles we know to be true.  We believe that each of us is “wonderfully made” in the image of God.  We, therefore, believe in the inherent dignity of every human being -- dignity that no earthly power can take away.  And central to that dignity is freedom of religion -- the right of every person to practice their faith how they choose, to change their faith if they choose, or to practice no faith at all, and to do this free from persecution and fear...promoting religious freedom is a key objective of U.S. foreign policy.  And I’m proud that no nation on Earth does more to stand up for the freedom of religion around the world than the United States of America.  (Applause.)

And then, he noted

...THE PRESIDENT:...As we support Israelis and Palestinians as they engage in direct talks, we’ve made clear that lasting peace will require freedom of worship and access to holy sites for all faiths.  I want to take this opportunity to thank Secretary Kerry for his extraordinary passion and principled diplomacy that he’s brought to the cause of peace in the Middle East...

...And in contrast to those who wield religion to divide us, let’s do more to nurture the dialogue between faiths that can break cycles of conflict and build true peace, including in the Holy Land.

That's clear to me: President Obama supports Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.

Thanks you, Mr. President.

Mr. Secretary of State, is that part of your solution?

^ 

Bayah - Bye-Bye

In previous postings relating to the new agreement signed between the Palestinian Authority and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan regarding the patronage of the King over the Holy Sites in Jerusalem, I was a bit puzzled by this paragraph:

D. Recalling the role of King Al Sharif Hussein Bin Ali in protecting, and taking care of the holy sites in Jerusalem and in the restoration of the holy sites since 1924; recalling the uninterrupted continuity of this role by His Majesty King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, who is a descendant of Al Sharif Hussein Bin Ali; recalling that the Bay’ah (oath of allegiance) according to which Al Sharif Hussein Bin Ali held the custodianship of the Jerusalem holy sites, which custodianship was affirmed to Al Sharif Hussein Bin Ali by the people of Jerusalem and Palestine on March 11, 1924; and recalling that the Custodianship of the holy sites of Jerusalem has devolved to His Majesty King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein;

and specifically this:

which custodianship was affirmed to Al Sharif Hussein Bin Ali by the people of Jerusalem and Palestine on March 11, 1924

I see now that Professor Ruth Lapidot has published an article on this agreement in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, VIII:3 (2013) and she references on this point a book(let) The Keys to Jerusalem published in 2010 in Jordan by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center.

The Oath:

The Jordanian interpretation:

Whether or not the Holy Sites were included in the 'disengagement decision of 1988, - which only related to Jordan and the PLO, as the Palestinian Authority did not exist then, and therefore, that is a different legal consideration, - the 1994 Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty contains this:

ARTICLE 9
PLACES OF HISTORICAL AND RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE

1. Each party will provide freedom of access to places of religious and historical significance.
2. In this regard, in accordance with the Washington Declaration, Israel respects the present special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Muslim Holy shrines in Jerusalem. When negotiations on the permanent status will take place, Israel will give high priority to the Jordanian historic role in these shrines.
3. The Parties will act together to promote interfaith relations among the three monotheistic religions, with the aim of working towards religious understanding, moral commitment, freedom of religious worship, and tolerance and peace.

The Holy Sites are very much included, as "Muslim Holy shrines", but exactly what are they and where and what about Jewish shrines, especially the Temple Mount, which shares much, but not all, of the area the Haram courtyards do, are unclear issues. Is Jordan violating the treaty?

Does not Israel also have a responsibility to assure access and worship there?

Does that Bayah hold, also given that the so-called Caliphate lasted from that March to ... October.  Is that a sufficient time to grant any sort of continuity?  

What happened in October?

As noted:

A last attempt at restoring the caliphal office and style with ecumenical recognition was made by al-Husayn ibn `Ali al-Hashimi, King of Hejaz and Sharif of Mecca, who assumed both on 11 March 1924 and held them until 3 October 1924, when he passed the kingship to his son `Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Hashimi, who did not adopt the caliphal office and style.

So, the Caliphate ended.  No more patronage of the Holy Sites in Jerusalem?  Is this Bayah a mere ploy?


Another Arab point of view on the matter is expressed so:

For Jordan, the dilemma is in maintaining a balance between its historic obligations towards Jerusalem and the 1994 peace treaty with Israel. In fact, it is more of a test of endurance.  In April this year, Jordan and Palestine signed an agreement under which the Palestinian side “reaffirmed” the status of King Abdullah as the custodian of the holy sites in Jerusalem.

Aside from the consideration of “who is stronger than who,” Jordan is definitely unwilling to terminate the Wadi Araba Peace Treaty with Israel and at the same can not remain silent on Israel’s assaults on al-Aqsa Mosque and its violations of the 1994 agreement in which the kingdom is stipulated as the official custodian of Jerusalem’s holy sites. It is such a big diplomatic challenge.

Wait, has the treaty "stipulated [Jordan] as the official custodian of Jerusalem’s holy sites"?

Of course not.  Just a "special role".  Perhaps as an observer, or a supervisor of engineering works, or as a payer of the Waqf employees salaries. But not sovereignty.  And not the term "custodian".

This view takes an opposing stand:

...The Treaty suggests that Arab rage and Israel Police restrictions are contrary to the spirit—if not the exact language—of an International Peace Agreement....All restrictions against Jews on the Temple Mount are contrary to the terms of a signed Peace Agreement. Discrimination of Jews at Jerusalem Holy Sites is a Treaty violation.

Article 9 also suggests that Arab riots over the Temple Mount could be illegal. Certainly, lawyers will have to decide if a signed international Treaty establishes enforceable law. They will have to determine if a violation of the terms of such an Agreement should be called ‘illegal.’But until then, Arab rage should be condemned by all.

Jordan is an interested party.  But its rights, and demands, are limited.

And if it can't even protect its own officials at the site accompanying a Fatah person, as happened recently, why should Israel respect it?

And if it does not assist Israel in assuring the freedom of religious worship (in 2009 the country joined radical Islamist Sheikh Raas Salah to denounce Israel's protection of freedom of access to the Temple Mount!) and does not promote interfaith relations, well then Jordan is out of the picture.

Does this fit with the peace treaty -
 

State Minister for Media Affairs, Mohammad al-Momani, renewed Jordan's warning that repeated Israeli attacks and unilateral measures on Muslim and Christian holy shrines as well as settlement policies threaten to undermine the peace process.

The minister, who is also government spokesman, stressed that Israel's practices against holy places are rejected and condemned and run contrary to international conventions and treaties, saying Israel should stop its ongoing violations of the holy city.

He warned that Israeli occupation authorities insistence to allow Jewish extremists to break into the Al-Aqsa Mosque is inflaming Muslim passions and could touch off religious conflict.

And that Bayah?  From 1924?

Bye - bye.

^

Franciscans Provide Temple Mount Precedent

Some of their propaganda from the voice-over clip at the bottom of the page is nigh anti-Semitic but the information is encouraging:

Upper Room on Mt. Zion To Open for Catholic Worship

The Cenacle, the building on Mt. Zion which houses the “Upper Room” where Jesus and his disciples held the Last Supper will once again be open for Catholic worship, it has been announced by spokesmen for the Vatican, the Israeli government and the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.  The agreement, which is part of overall negotiations over the use of land owned by the church in Israel allows for Franciscan administrative control of the site, while ownership will remain with Israel...

...The Franciscan Friars owned the site during the 14th and 15th centuries, but were expelled by the Ottoman Empire in 1550...While expressing disappointment with Israeli ownership, he said, "opening the Upper Room to Catholic worship is “good news.” 

...Negotiations between the Vatican and Israel began 20 years ago with a “Fundamental Agreement” designed to open the way to Vatican recognition of Israel. Negotiations halted for several years until the United States intervened and talks were resumed in 2004, Vasko said. The current round of talks is the first to be held in two years. In addition to the Cenacle, other key elements of the negotiations include two churches the Vatican wants to build, and tax exempt status for Catholic Churches. The recent agreement approves tax-exempt status for the churches but specifies that attached buildings such as gift shops and restaurants will be subject to Israeli sales tax.  Negotiations will continue in December, according to the joint announcement.

If the Israel government can make these generous provisions for shared use of a holy site, when do they finalize an arrangement with the Waqf so that Jews can worship on the Temple Mount?

Freedom of worship is, I would presume, a right for Jews as much as it is for Christians.

No?

_____________

Being me, I sent this query:-

Is worship limited to Catholics or can other sects of Christianity pray, too?

and received this reply:-

Thank you for your response to our article “Upper Room on Mt. Zion To Open for Catholic Worship”.  We as Catholics are very excited that the ability to celebrate Holy Mass in the “Cenacle” or “Upper Room” is being restored  to the Franciscans even though the ownership of the Upper Room will stay in the hands of the Israelis.  The reason this is so important to us is that we believe that Jesus celebrated the first mass at the Last Supper and asked us to do so also in remembrance of Him.  It is also where the sacrament of Holy Orders (Priesthood) was established.

In response to your question, the Upper Room has been open to other forms of worship all along.  However, I am not sure if it requires any type of permission.  There are numerous YouTube videos of groups worshipping in the open spaces.

Are you an interested reader or are you affiliated with a news source? 

Many blessings.  Visit us at www.ffhl.org for much more on our work in the Holy Land.

Deborah Roberts

Media Coordinator

This was my answer:

I am an interested reader and I also blog.

I asked because I thought the arrangement being agreed upon could serve as a model for the friction between Muslims and Jews on the Temple Mount.

and I then added:

incidentally, I could not locate any other independent corroboration for the story even after searching Vatican news web sites.  has the story appeared other than where I found it?

^

Islamic Freedom of Religion

Al-Hayat reports:-

The PA's Council of Ministers, during its meeting held in Ramallah yesterday, headed by Dr.. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, condemned ongoing Israeli schemes aimed at the ngoing Al-Aqsa Mosque, whether through further excavation, or storming a daily basis and provocative by the army and settlers, and invitations to destroy it, or allow the Jews to pray in and prevent Muslims from entering at certain times.He warned that further campaigns of incitement deliberate by the leaders of Israeli multi-against the mosque and praying in it may lead to a disaster, stressing the need for a pressure of an international Arab actor to stop the Israeli violations against the Aqsa Mosque and the holy city, calling the Islamic Summit held today in Mecca to take decisions of actors to address these serious measures and practices and to support the steadfastness of our people and enable it to protect it.

Compare to the above this statement that I found in the book I just noted:-

You read that part about "freedom of worship" in the last paragraph?

Nu.  So where's my freedom of worship?

They have their's:

Thousands of worshipers from the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel headed to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday to celebrate Laylat al-Qadr, one of Ramadan’s holiest nights. Director of the Jerusalem office of the Islamic Waqf told Ma’an that the number of worshipers exceeded 400,000.

^

Who Are Those "People"?

Thousands of worshipers headed to Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque for the fourth Friday of the holy month of Ramadan.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said 250,000 people prayed in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Israeli security forces took measures to ensure there were no problems as worshipers traveled to the compound, Rosenfeld said, adding that no incidents had been reported.
Men aged over 40, women and children were allowed to enter Jerusalem from the West Bank without permits on Friday for Ramadan prayers, he told Ma’an.

I think we could call that religious freedom and coexistence.

But note, those "people" were all Muslims.

No Jews are permitted to pray or worship at their own holy site.

Think about that.

^

Wanna Pray on the Temple Mount?

How to pray on the Temple Mount.


A beginner's guide.


Here.  The clip.

[And from today, including prostrations]


It helps to know Hebrew - but you'd be saying the prayers in Hebrew anyway, right?


P.S.

Yehuda Etzion (upper left) lecturing today on the Temple Mount:

UPDATE

The calm and rational reaction of Muslims to the exercise by Jews of the right to free worship and religious freedom:

Dozens of Jewish settlers started Sunday morning to flock into the courtyards of the Aqsa Mosque at the invitation of the right-wing Likud party to celebrate the occupation of east Jerusalem.  According to the Aqsa foundation for endowment and heritage, a group of about 25 settlers desecrated this morning the Aqsa Mosque and walked in its courtyards amid expectations that seven extremist Knesset members will also defile the sanctity of the Islamic holy Mosque.

These Jewish break-ins at the Aqsa Mosque are carried out under tight military and security protection, and amid restrictions imposed on all Muslim worshipers and citizens in the holy city...The preparatory committee of the popular conference on Jerusalem urged all Palestinians who have access to the holy city to be present in the morning at the Aqsa Mosque to thwart any Israeli attempt to violate its sanctity.

...For his part, head of the higher council of Islamic courts in Palestine Sheikh Yousuf Adeis called on the Palestinian people to beware of the Jewish schemes against the Aqsa Mosque and to be present all day and night inside it to protect it.  Sheikh Adeis urged the Arab League, the organization of Islamic cooperation and the international community to immediately move to protect the Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinians against the settlers’ violations.

He stressed the city of Jerusalem is an Arab Islamic city and the Aqsa Mosque, with all its premises, gates and walls including the Buraq wall, belongs only to Muslims.

From PM Netanyahu's declaration at today's cabinet session:

We are committed to the liberation of Jerusalem...A second thing that we are committed to, first of all, is to the city's past. Jerusalem was a city of the Bible, Jerusalem will be a city of the Bible. Today, we will make a series of decisions that will enable us to build Biblical sites in the city that will enhance and explain our link to the Land of the Bible, to Zion, and also allow millions of people, no less, millions of people to have a direct appreciation of Israel's heritage as it finds expression in the Bible. This will be Jerusalem and this is very important.

And his speech at the Ammunition Hill Ceremony:

...[alll the world's synagogues] face the place that has always been the center of our national and spiritual life, the place that reminds us of our glorious past and serves as the focus of our hopes for the future. And we will not turn our backs on those who have faced Jerusalem for generations. We will preserve Jerusalem because an Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart. It was on this hill, 45 years ago, that the heart that unites our people began to beat again with full strength; and our heart will never be divided again.

There are people who believe that if we just divide Jerusalem, which means eventually conceding the Temple Mount – they believe we will have peace [Ehud Olmert - YM =   who called for the city to be redivided in an interview published Sunday in the Maariv daily, and who offered to divide the city in a 2008 peace proposal and in September 2010 he said that he was prepared as prime minister to share Jerusalem's holy sites, which include the Western Wall and the Temple Mount -- known to Muslims as Haram-al-Sharif -- with the Palestinians. "It will not be ours nor the Palestinians... (it) will be managed by an international trustee which includes (other) countries,"].  They believe that, but they are wrong. I am doubtful, to put it mildly, that if we grant other forces control over that square above the Temple Mount, we won't see the situation deteriorate so quickly that will devolve into a religious and sectarian war. I also know that this is the lesson of the ages – that only under Israeli rule, under Israeli sovereignty – access and freedom of religion and freedom of worship for all religions has been and will continue to be ensured. Only under Israel. Only under Israel will the quiet be maintained; only under Israel will peace between the religions be maintained. Sustainable peace is made with strong nations, and an Israel without a unified Jerusalem will be like a body with a weak heart. I want to say something else: a nation that is willing to sacrifice its heart will only convince its enemies that it lacks the willpower to fight for anything...

...we are witnesses to the fulfillment of the words of the prophets. We saw the resurrection of Zion; we saw the restoration of the sovereignty of the people of Israel here in the Land of Israel; we saw the ingathering of the exiles; and we saw the unification and rebuilding of Jerusalem. Our generation also bears the tremendous responsibility of ensuring that we safeguard this transformation for future generations.  The prophet Isaiah said: "Wake, wake! Arise, O Jerusalem." Well, Jerusalem has arisen. After centuries of repression and intolerance by other faiths, Jerusalem has arisen and been unified.

I remember the day when Motta Gur said that the Temple Mount was in our
possession. Whose heart did not tremble? Who did not think then about David and Solomon, about Isaiah and Jeremiah, about the prophesies of hope and the lamentations of destruction? Who did not feel the prayer of generations that beats within us? I felt it and so did you...

...Jerusalem is where our past has been uncovered and our future has been built, the place where our unparalleled spiritual treasures reside...For 45 years, we have built and developed Jerusalem – North and South, East and West. We will continue to build Jerusalem.  We will continue to develop our capital and we will continue to ensure that its golden light continues to light the future of our people and shine a light across the world – the light of Jerusalem.

^

Freedom of Worship or Freedom From Violence

Hamas is upset (k/t=IMRA):

The Aqsa Foundation for Endowment and Heritage revealed that the Israeli occupation on Tuesday installed cctv
cameras to monitor the Aqsa Mosque, especially from the side of the Maghareba Gate...the occupation authorities aim to
restrict and intimidate worshippers inside the Aqsa Mosque...Sheikh Azzam al-Khatib, head of the Jerusalem Awqaf, stressed that this was a serious precedent which is rejected and the cameras must be removed immediately...the Aqsa Foundation said that occupation technicians, on Tuesday, installed two cameras above the Maghareba gate, a position from which a large area of the Aqsa Mosque can be monitored.

Of course, the fact that stones come over the wall from inside the Temple Mount esplanade, from the hands of "practioners of religion", Islam, which seems to justify that violent activity of rocktossing at Jews, goes by the wayside.

Cameras and more, I'd go with security.


^

Three Arab Assaults on Jewish Historical Cultural Sites

One:

A five-person gang of would-be thieves allegedly raided an ancient historical site in Israel over the weekend, apparently attempting to loot valuable relics and causing irreparable damage along the way.

The alleged thieves, all Palestinians from the West Bank town of Beit Ula, are suspected of sneaking into Israel from Judea and Samaria and vandalizing the site. The historical area can be traced back to the time of the Bar Kokhba revolt

...The thieves allegedly came armed with a sophisticated metal detector and an array of digging tools and equipment, and attempted to execute an amateur excavation in the hopes of unearthing historic coins and ancient underground hideouts. In the process, the perpetrators broke down ancient walls and destroyed buildings that are thousands of years old.

..."We are talking about a most severe case. The bandits caused devastating and irreversible damage to the ancient site. The devastation caused was unrestricted and unprecedented, even for the relatively small size of the site," said Amir Ganor, director of the Antiquities Robbery Prevention Unit on Sunday. "Unfortunately the site has been almost completely destroyed, Ganor added. "In one fell swoop, these bandits, with a blatant disregard and following a greedy quest for financial gain, managed to erase layers from our history."

Two:

The Jerusalem District Police on Sunday closed the Mughrabi Bridge, which connects the Western Wall and the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, and is the only access point to the holy site for Jews and tourists...Hamas officials on Monday said that Israel's closure of the Mughrabi Bridge marks the beginning of an assault on on the Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa compound, which houses the Al-Aqsa mosque.

Hamas officials previously said implementing the closure would be a "criminal act which constitutes a flagrant violation of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque and a provocation to the feelings of millions of Muslims." Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, meanwhile, told AFP last week that the closure of the temporary bridge "shows their determination to judaize Jerusalem and to take over the city's Muslim holy places."...

MK Danny Danon (Likud), chairman of the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee...said on Sunday, "We need to exercise sovereignty over Jerusalem not just by law but in practice. We can't risk the safety of Jewish worshippers and security forces because of threats coming from foreign sources. If the Temple Mount is open to Muslims, it must be open to Christians and Jews as well. It is possible to allow access to the Temple Mount from alternative locations until a new bridge is built."

P.S. Take note of this reaction.

Three:

Palestinian officials are openly talking about using UNESCO to prohibit Jews from worshipping at Hebron’s Tomb of the Patriarchs...Karl Vick of Time got himself a scoop sure to raise red flags:

Now that Palestine has been voted into UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, officials are preparing applications for the organization’s marquee designation: a World Heritage Site. Candidates are abundant. Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity stands atop the cave where believers kneel to kiss the spot, confidently marked by a starburst, said to be where Jesus Christ was born. Jericho, which marked its 10,000th birthday last year, is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities on the planet. And Hebron boasts the final resting place of Abraham, whose covenant with the Almighty led to Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

There’s not much about the site that’s in doubt, including what Palestinian officials aim to do with the property if they get control of it — stop Jews from praying there.

The stated reason: The massive stone structure built atop the cave by King Herod, a Jew, and held for a time by Christian Crusaders, has since the 14th century been a Muslim house of worship. The Ibrahimi Mosque has minarets, rugs, washrooms for ablutions and anterooms lined with racks for storing shoes.

“It’s a mosque!” says Khaled Osaily, the mayor of Hebron. “You don’t have to be an architect to see it! Will you allow me to pray in a synagogue or a church?”

...of course...right now, anyone can pray at the Ibrahimi Mosque...

This must be combatted, vigorously.

^

Chanukkah Presents A Problem

Go here to understand this

نابلس 29-11-2010 وفا- وضع مستوطنون، قبل قليل، شمعدانا ضخما على مشارف مدينة نابلس بالضفة الغربية.

وقال شهود عيان إن الشمعدان وضع بواسطة رافعة قرب مثلث زعترة على بعد عدة كيلومترات جنوب نابلس، وأشاروا إلى أن هذه المنطقة تعتبر مركزا لتجمع عدد من المستوطنات اليهودية المتطرفة.

يذكر أن الشمعدان غالبا ما يستخدم في الطقوس الدينية اليهودية، ويسعى المستوطنون لفرض أيدلوجيتهم في مناطق الضفة الغربية من خلال هذه الأعمال.

ـ

ج.ض

^

Restrictions on Haj Freedom of Worship

But not Israel's fault.


Palestinian power struggle may bar pilgrims from visiting Mecca

The ongoing power struggle between the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah
and Hamas' government in Gaza may prevent several thousand Palestinian Muslims from the Gaza Strip from fulfilling their religious obligation of visiting Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The pilgrimage dispute is connected to the Gaza authorities' insistence that all pilgrims leaving the Strip register for the trip in Gaza, not in Ramallah. But in accordance with Saudi Arabia's standing arrangement with the Palestinian Authority, Saudi immigration and pilgrimage authorities demand all Palestinian traffic into Saudi Arabia be coordinated through Ramallah.

Gazan who did register through Ramallah for the pilgrimage - "Haj" in Arabic - are not being serviced by Gaza clinics which are supposed to give them the necessary vaccinations to obtain a Saudi visa. Hamas' spokespeople said that Gaza will not allow people who registered through Ramallah to leave as long as the people who registered through Gaza are not allowed to enter Saudi Arabia.