PILGRIMAGE POLITICS
The bloodiest ever Gaza war broke out after Hamas’s Oct 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
The Israeli army then launched a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip that has left at least 37,164 dead, the majority of them civilians, according to data from the health ministry of the Hamas-led Gaza government.
Saudi Arabia has never recognised Israel but de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was considering establishing formal diplomatic ties with Israel before the Oct 7 attack.
Saudi leaders remain in talks with US officials about a so-called mega-deal that would see Riyadh recognise Israel in exchange for a deeper security relationship with Washington.
However Saudi officials have said ties with Israel are impossible without “irrevocable” steps towards recognition of a Palestinian state, which Israel has long opposed.
Saudi King Salman issued a decree on Monday to host 1,000 pilgrims “from the families of martyrs and the wounded from the Gaza Strip”, bringing to 2,000 the number of Palestinian pilgrims to be hosted this year, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
The Haj is a source of legitimacy for Saudi rulers, and King Salman’s title includes “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques” in Mecca and Medina.
Yet the Saudi government also “uses the pilgrimage to control Muslims worldwide”, as it can potentially bar critics from performing an essential religious rite, said Madawi al-Rasheed, a Saudi academic and opposition figure based in London.
“The Saudis will increase their control over the pilgrims to prevent any mobilisation around support for Gaza. It remains to be seen whether the pilgrims will respect Saudi wishes.”
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