Occupied Jerusalem- At dawn on Monday, the last convoy of pilgrims from the Holy House of God left the city of Jerusalem, heading to the lands of Hijaz to perform the Hajj. It consists of 350 male and female pilgrims who won the lottery conducted by the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments last February.
Tel Aviv Tribune Net witnessed, at dawn, the departure of Jerusalemite pilgrims from the town of Beit Hanina (north of the city), where they gathered in the courtyard of the Al-Dawa Mosque and were transported by buses of Hajj and Umrah companies to the Israeli crossing point.
The total number of Jerusalemite pilgrims is about 600 who hold the blue ID (Jerusalem ID), in addition to Jerusalemites who hold the Palestinian ID (residents of the suburbs of Jerusalem) who left the Holy Palestinian City towards the Holy Land of Hijaz, in a total number of about a thousand pilgrims.
15 years of waiting
Khalil Al-Sharbati, from the town of Al-Ram, north of occupied Jerusalem, says that he registered for Hajj in 2011, but won the lottery this year, noting that the Hajj fees are “very expensive and reach 7,000 dollars, not including gifts.”
As for Shaker Rabie Maswad, he said that he registered for Hajj since 2009 until he got his chance this year, adding that the Hajj in total costs about 10,000 Jordanian dinars (about 14,000 dollars).
Muhammad Abdullah Da’na was overcome with tears of joy as he talked about his feelings as he prepared to perform Hajj in an opportunity he received after waiting for 14 years.
Going back to 2010, the year in which most of the Jerusalemite pilgrims who had the opportunity to register this year, Hajj fees did not exceed $3,000, which made some unable to perform the Hajj this year even if they won the lottery.
Every Jerusalemite intending to perform the Hajj must go to the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (affiliated with the Palestinian Authority) to register there, then wait for the annual lottery to be held, of which the Jerusalemites’ annual quota is a part.
In addition to the lottery, a Jerusalemite figure familiar with the work of Hajj companies, who preferred not to mention her name, pointed out “a great exploitation of pilgrims. Whoever does not win the lottery and decides to perform Hajj is forced to buy either a special, tourist, or visit visa, and each of these visas has different specifications.”
Hajj fees
The Ministry of Endowments previously determined Hajj fees according to the means of transportation and the classification and location of the hotels that will receive pilgrims to stay overnight, and noted that the prices listed in its announcement do not include flight tickets.
For example, the cost of arriving to the Hijaz lands from Jordan by land – while staying in 3-star hotels for a double room – is 4,180 Jordanian dinars for a single pilgrim (about 5,896 dollars) and 3,485 Jordanian dinars (about 4,916 dollars) for a pilgrim in triple rooms.
The fees are 5,986 Jordanian dinars per person in the case of overnight stays in 5-star hotels for double rooms on the court of the Haram, and 4,978 Jordanian dinars for triple rooms.
The first convoy of pilgrims from the Holy City set off on Saturday from in front of the headquarters of the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the town of Al-Eizariya, east of Jerusalem, towards the King Hussein Bridge (Al-Karama Crossing), and after their arrival in the Jordanian capital, they will set out by land or air to the Hejaz lands.
Blue card holders from Jerusalem travel through Hajj and Umrah offices designated for them in the cities and towns of the Palestinian interior, and complete their procedures through the Jordanian Ministry of Endowments, Affairs and Islamic Sanctities.
Exceptional share
Moving on to talk about the Jerusalem Governorate, which includes all the villages and suburbs whose residents hold the Palestinian Authority ID card (green), in addition to the neighborhoods of the city whose residents hold the Jerusalem ID card (blue), Hossam Abu Al-Rub, Undersecretary of the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, said that the Jerusalem Governorate was granted an exceptional share this year. With more than a thousand male and female pilgrims getting the opportunity to perform this ritual by lottery.
Regarding the reason for granting additional seats this year, Abu Al-Rub told Tel Aviv Tribune Net that the registration of new pilgrims in the city of Jerusalem and some of its villages has stopped since 2011 due to the large numbers registered and the surplus on the lists, so the ministry decided to grant additional quotas this year.
He added, “We are interested in reducing the names from the lists of past years so that next year we can open registration to Jerusalemites again.”
According to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments, about 4,500 Palestinian male and female pilgrims will perform Hajj this year, after they fulfill the conditions and their names appear in the lottery from which 90% of the pilgrims are chosen.
Regarding the conditions for applying to perform this obligation, Abu Al-Rub explained that when it is announced that registration for Hajj is open, the person can go to register after having the intention, desire, and willingness to pay the fees, provided that he has not performed this obligation previously, unless he is the mahram of a woman who has not performed Hajj before.
Whoever is lucky in the lottery pays the prescribed fees and chooses the company or Hajj and Umrah office through which he wants to complete the procedures, provided that it is licensed by the Ministry of Endowments.
Categories outside the lottery
Abu Al-Rub touched on the “Palestinian President’s Grant,” which is made through the Ministry of Endowments, and goes every year to the benefit of 50 Jerusalemites stationed in Al-Aqsa Mosque, out of consideration for the Holy Palestinian City and its exceptional status.
In addition to the President’s grant, Palestinians are selected to perform the Hajj pilgrimage through “the generosity of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the families of prisoners and martyrs.” These are chosen through their sponsors, whether institutions of martyrs’ families or the Commission for the Affairs of Prisoners and Ex-Prisoners.
Palestinian pilgrims are accompanied by guides, administrators, and a preaching and medical delegation, with arrangements and accompaniment by the Palestinian Ministry of Endowments.
Regarding whether the circumstances of the ongoing war had affected the decision of some pilgrims to travel and their hesitation in doing so, Abu Al-Rub concluded by saying, “Our people have a determination to live and are accustomed to these occupation procedures and policies… In the end, this is an obligation, and the citizen whose name is drawn by lottery is usually ready to travel no matter what.” “It came at a cost and suffering.”