JEDDAH: Many Palestinian refugees who have been scattered around the world as a result of the Israeli occupation are looking forward to reunions with their relatives during Haj.
In addition to being a religious duty and a spiritual experience, Haj is an excellent opportunity for Palestinian pilgrims to meet their relatives and friends whom they have not seen for years.
News agencies recently carried photos of some 1,200 Palestinian pilgrims at Beirut’s Rafiq Al-Hariri Airport as they waited for their flights to Saudi Arabia. Many of the travelers look forward to being reunited with their dear ones for a few days.
One pilgrim, Umm Ibrahim, said that she was performing Haj for the first time and was hoping to meet her relatives from the Palestinian territories whom she has never seen.
“Words cannot express how thrilled and excited I am. I hope all Muslims will get a chance to perform Haj.
“I was born in Beirut 62 years ago and have never met some of my relatives. And now, I am going to see them for the first time during the Haj rituals,” she said with undisguised happiness and enthusiasm.
The head of Lebanon’s Haj and Umrah Affairs Committee, Ibrahim Etani, said that 4,800 Haj visas had been given by Saudi Arabia to Lebanon; the number includes 1,200 for Palestinian refugees. In Lebanon, there are approximately 460,000 Palestinians living in 12 refugee camps.
Palestinian refugees eager for Haj reunion
Palestinian refugees eager for Haj reunion
Saudi mine-clearance project in Yemen destroys 4,235 explosive devices in a day
- Project Masam aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people
LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Project Masam cleared 4,235 mines, unexploded ordnance and other explosive devices in a single day from Bab Al-Mandab region in southwestern Yemen, as part of its mission to protect civilians.
Osama Al-Gosaibi, the project’s director general, said it aims to rid Yemen of all mines to help ensure the highest standards of safety and security for the Yemeni people.
On Wednesday, the project’s teams destroyed 33 anti-tank mines, 31 anti-personnel mines, 86 miscellaneous shells, 2,750 assorted rounds, 1,291 breakers and valves used in devices, 12 grenades, two Katyusha rockets, a missile, 15 shell arrows, and 14 other explosive devices.
Masam’s teams are tasked with clearing villages, roads and areas around schools to facilitate the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The project trains local people to become demining engineers, provides them with modern equipment to do the job, and also offers support to Yemenis injured by explosive devices.
