- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: PALESTINIANS PERFORM HAJ RITUAL IN MECCA
- Date: 1st March 2001
- Summary: MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA (MARCH 1, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. LV EXTERIOR OF PALESTINIANS PILGRIMS BUILDING 0.08 2. SLV/SV/MCU OF PALESTINIANS PILGRIMS, MEMBERS OF WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE BEEN KILLED DURING THE PALESTINIAN UPRISING AGAINST ISRAEL HOLDING PICTURES OF THEIR DEAD RELATIVES AND PALESTINIAN FLAGS (4 SHOTS) 0.29 3. LAS SANA AL-JERJAWI, 36, A VEILED PALESTINIAN WOMEN, STANDING BESIDE HER HUSBAND HOLDING A PICTURE OF HER SON, OSAMA, WHO HAS BEEN KILLED 0.33 4. MCU (Arabic) SANA AL-JERJAWI: "We ask of...all the Arab leaders who stood by us on humanitarian, financial and psychological levels to stand with us on the political level, so that this daily bloodshed stops." 0.54 5. CU PORTRAIT OF OSAMA JERJAWI, SANA'S SON WHO DIED 0.58 6. CU (Arabic) SANA JERJAWI: "What are the feelings of a mother and a father who raise up their eldest son and dream big dreams for him?...How would the feeling be towards a rogue soldier who opens fire at someone...throwing stones. How does a stone endanger Jews?." 1.21 7. SV PALESTINIANS PILGRIMS HOLDING UP PICTURES OF THEIR SONS 1.24 8. MCU (Arabic) ABLA MOUSA QASR: "I will just pray that the blood of our sons will not be lost and that it was spilled on the road to Jerusalem." 1.30 9. SLV PILGRIMS 1.34 10. MCU HILMI RAMADAN, 65, WHOSE SON WAS KILLED BY ISRAELI TROOPS IN OCTOBER,2000: "I was working at the Gulf area for 25-years and now I'm coming to perform Haj on behalf of my martyr son." 1.45 11. CU PALESTINIANS MARTYRS' PICTURES STUCK ON WALL 1.49 12. SV MAN WAVING FLAG 1.52 13. SLV MOTHERS OF PALESTINIANS KILLED DURING THE INTIFADA 1.58 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 16th March 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Reuters ID: LVAWSESWRYMVBVYTMDBWMUM5F17
- Story Text: Palestinians have been travelling to Saudi Arabia to
seek solace in the spiritual comfort of the Muslim pilgrimage
to holy sites there, three months after the start of their
violent uprising against Israeli occupation.
A thousand members of families of Palestinians killed
by Israeli forces are performing the haj ritual, which starts
on Saturday (March 4), at the expense of Saudi King Fahd.
The hostel housing the Palestinian pilgrims at Aziziyah
neighbourhood in Mecca could be mistaken for a building in
Palestinian-ruled territories.
A large red-white-green-and-black Palestinian flag covered
part of the building as pictures of scores of dead men, whom
Palestinians call martyrs, are plastered on the walls.
Some pilgrims are parents or children of Palestinians
killed over the past two decades.
Among them is Sana al-Jerjawi, whose 17-year-old son was
killed in the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation.
She has travelled from Gaza.
OnThursday (March 1), Sana al-Jerjawi appealed to Arab
leaders who supported Palestinians on a humanitarian,
financial and psychological level "to stand with us on the
political level so that this daily bloodshed stops."
Jerjawi, 36, admitted she was consumed with anger for the
killing of her son.
"What are the feelings of a mother and a father who raise
up their eldest son and dream big reams for him?...How would
the feeling be towards a rogue soldier who opens fire at
someone...throwing stones. How does a stone endanger Jews?,"
she said.
"I will just pray that the blood of our sons will not be
lost and that it was spilled on the road to Jerusalem", said
Abla Mousa Qasr, 37, whose
14-year-old son also died in the recent violence.
Hilmi Ramadan, 65, from the West Bank town of Nablus,
whose son was killed by Israeli troops during October last
year, said he was performing the haj on behalf of his "martyr
son."
Some of the Palestinian pilgrims said they were harassed
by Israeli forces on their way out of Palestinian territories
and as many as seven pilgrims were taken away by Israelis at
the border to Jordan.
The pilgrims said they were deeply touched by the gesture
of King Fahd to host them, but they were looking for Arabs to
do more to support their cause.
The Palestinian-Israeli violence has, so far, killed 334
Palestinians, 61 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs.
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