Currently, Saudi Arabia accepts Muslim pilgrims arriving from Israel to Mecca but requires them to travel through a third country, a costly diversion.
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia will soon allow unfettered overflight to Israeli airlines and permit direct charter flights from Israel for Muslims participating in the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, a US official told Reuters.
The announcement is expected to come during US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia later this week, the official said. Biden has made it a focus to integrate Israel into the broader Gulf region, particularly with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia did begin allowing Israeli airlines to fly over its territory in a special air corridor for flights to and from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, after the signing of the Abraham Accords that normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and those two nations.Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid was asked on Thursday at a joint news conference with Biden whether Saudi Arabia would approve the use of the air space, he said that it was Biden’s announcement to make.
Israel’s regional cooperation minister last week asked Saudi Arabia to admit direct flights from Tel Aviv for Muslim pilgrims, a minority in Israel.The hajj is a once-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the journey, which takes them along a path that the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have traversed some 1,400 years ago.
“Granting overflights is a small gesture that gives the Saudis leverage. In a future Israeli-Palestinian crisis, which is only a matter of time, they can withdraw permission to show disapproval of Israel. They can do the same with Hajj flights,” Riedel said. – Rappler.com
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