AMMAN (AFP)--Jordan's Islamist opposition urged Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to grant hajj visas to Palestinians from the Gaza Strip after Hamas accused Riyadh of denying them entry.
"We appeal to Saudi Arabia and its government as well as the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Abdullah, to allow pilgrims from Gaza to perform hajj," Hammam Saeed, overall leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, said in a statement.
"We call on Saudi Arabia to coordinate with the (Palestinian) Authority in Ramallah and the (Hamas) government in Gaza, where people live under extraordinary conditions."
Sunday, Saudi Arabia rejected claims by the Islamist Hamas, which rules Gaza, that the kingdom was refusing to grant visas Palestinians from Gaza.
A day earlier, Hamas had said Riyadh had allowed thousands of people registered with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to have visas but not the 2,200 in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza who applied through Hamas.
"All Arabs are required to deal with the Palestinians in Gaza in a just manner," Saeed said.
Israel sealed its crossings with Gaza - the overcrowded territory's main gateway for food and humanitarian aid - as well as its maritime borders after Hamas seized power there in June 2007.
Saeed said the Muslim Brotherhood is planning a Dec. 20 trip to Gaza from the southern Red Sea port of Aqaba in a bid to break the Israeli blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory.
"We also plan to hold more protests and rallies to push for lifting the sanctions, which are nothing but a mass killing of the Palestinians. We will collect aid for our brothers in Gaza," he said.
Monday, Israeli warships prevented a Libyan cargo vessel laden with 3,000 metric tons of goods from reaching Gaza.
The Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm the Islamic Action Front have six seats in Jordan's 110-member lower house of parliament.
Jordan signed a 1994 peace treaty with Israel, becoming the only Arab state after Egypt to make peace with the Jewish state.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 02, 2008 09:21 ET (14:21 GMT)

Publié le 02 Décembre 2008 Copyright © 2008 Dowjones