Saudi Envoy Denies Ban On Palestinians From Hajj

Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Indonesia Osama bin Mohammed Abdullah Al Shuaib Tuesday denied reports of banning Palestinian citizens from performing Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages, saying that the reports by Israel and the UK were not true.

JAKARTA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Indonesia Osama bin Mohammed Abdullah Al Shuaib Tuesday denied reports of banning Palestinian citizens from performing Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages, saying that the reports by Israel and the UK were not true.

"The reports are wrong and cannot be trusted. It was made by Israel and the UK sides," Al Shuaib told reporters in capital Jakarta.

He called the reports by middle East Eye's - a London-based online news outlet - "illogical" as the Palestinian population, which is only around 7 million people, unlikely to get a pilgrim quota of 3 million.

"It is illogical that 1 million Palestinians performed Hajj pilgrimage. With its 7 million population, it can only accept around 7,000 pilgrims," Al Shuaib explained.

Saudi government ensures that it gives the same quota to each country for Hajj as per its population, he added.

The ambassador also said Saudi Arabia appreciated the Indonesian government's support for the Palestinian cause.

"We will not let Palestinians stand alone. We will continue to provide financial assistance for the Palestinian people and the State of Palestine," Al Shuaib said.