Hamas authorities that control the Gaza Strip have lifted their ban on hajj pilgrims leaving the Palestinian enclave with documentation issued through the Fatah-controlled West Bank.
"We intend to help remove all obstacles in the way of pilgrims and we do not object to those who have been registered in Ramallah leaving the Gaza Strip," Gaza's de-facto Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said.
Radio reports quoted eyewitnesses as saying earlier in the day that police in Gaza had cordoned off roads to the Egyptian border and were seizing travel documents issued by the Saudis through the Palestinian National Authority.
The Palestinian National Authority controls the West Bank and does not recognize Hamas as the legitimate ruler of the Gaza Strip.
A spokesman for the Gaza Interior Ministry, Ihab al-Ghusain, said that residents in Gaza who had applied for hajj documents via Hamas had been turned down by the Saudi authorities.
source
1 comment:
it is pretty pathetic how childish their rivalry is getting .. this is the second year in a row the poor gazan hujjaj go through some kind of drama .. if you remember last year they were stranded in egypt for a while because there was some debate over which crossing they should use when returning.
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