Haniyeh to take part in Hajj pilgrimage, as guest of Saudi king

December 28, 2006

Gaza - Ma'an - Sources within the office of the Palestinian prime minister in Gaza have, on Thursday morning, announced that Prime Minister Isma'il Haniyeh will depart to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj pilgrimage and rituals.


Haniyeh will be accompanied by the deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Ahmad Bahar, and the ministers of foreign affairs and the interior, Mahmoud Zahhar and Sa'id Siyam.

King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has sent a private royal plane to the Al-Areesh airport in Egypt to transport the Palestinian delegation to the holy land of Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Haniyeh expressed his appreciation for the generosity of the Saudi king, wishing the country "further progress and flourishment".