CAIRO: For the first time in two years, Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip will be allowed to travel to Mecca for the Haj. Visas will be granted for Islamic pilgrimage by Saudi Arabia, but the question will soon become whether Egypt and Israel allow those with proper visas to leave the blockaded Mediterranean enclave. Tour operators have already reported a plethora of applications flowing in from Gaza. According to the Saudi government, they expect a few thousand Gazans will be permitted to travel and be granted visas. It is still unclear the exact number of pilgrims and arrangements will have to be made with the Egyptian government in order to allow Palestinians to cross the Rafah Border Crossing in the Sinai Peninsula. For the past two years, since Hamas took control of Gaza, the border has been nearly continuously closed by the Egyptian government, only randomly allowing those seeking medical assistance to pass through. The Haj is a central tenet of Islam and is required of all Muslims at least once in their lives if money permits. Speaking to Bikya Masr, a former Egyptian foreign ministry official said that he doubts all those that are given visas will be allowed to fulfill the obligation and their right. “It is still early, but my sense is that even if Palestinians in Gaza are given visas, the likelihood of all of them being allowed to cross at Rafah is slim because Cairo has so many security stipulations on those traveling. It is unfortunate,” the former official said. With the H1N1 flu strain on the rise in Egypt, there is talk that the whole Haj via Egypt may be canceled. Time will tell, but for now, Gazans can cheer the opportunity to fulfill their dream of pilgrimage. BM
