Tabnak – Saudi officials’ consent to resuming the entry of Qatari pilgrims in Saudi Arabia for Hajj, has created a narrow window of hope for the recent Persian Gulf crisis to be resolved. This is while, some other members of the Saudi regional camp continue to accuse Qatar of meddling in their domestic affairs.
Aljazeera quotes officials Saudi media as saying that Saudi Arabia will open its land border with Qatar to allow Hajj pilgrims to pass through. A statement on the official Saudi Press Agency on Thursday said the Salwa border point would be open for Qatari citizens who wish to perform the annual pilgrimage to pass through with no electronic permissions needed.
The statement added that Saudi Arabia's King Salman has invited Qatari pilgrims to perform this year's Hajj pilgrimage at his expense. King Salman also ordered that private jets belonging to Saudi airlines be sent to Doha airport "to bring all Qatari pilgrims on his expenses".
The statement came after a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jassim al-Thani. According to Reuters, a Qatari spokesman had no immediate comment on the opening of the border for haj but said Sheikh Abdullah does not hold a position in the Qatari government.
However, observers believe that, despite this goodwill gesture, the dispute between Qatar and its neighbors, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates is far from over.
In this vein, Bahrain’s information minister on Thursday condemned what he called "the subversive” role of Qatar’s media in the ongoing diplomatic crisis.
The minister, Ali bin Mohammed Al Rumaihi, accused Aljazeera of targeting Bahrain with fake news and hundreds of negative reports on the kingdom. Qatar's media had attacked Bahrain and directly interfered in its internal affairs through the news channel, he said.
"Al Jazeera relies on the virtual world with its wide spectrum of fake and bogus accounts for its statistics and public opinion surveys. The channel has broadcasted more than 900 negative reports and news data-x-items on Bahrain," the minister told Bahrain TV.
It should be noted that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates imposed sanctions on fellow US ally Qatar in June and cut all transport connections with the country. The four boycotting Arab states accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, a charge which Doha denies.
However, after the recent developments regarding Haj, Qatari journalist and the editor-in-chief of Al-Arab daily, Abdallah Al-AlAthbah, told Al Jazeera that the decision of the Saudi king to let Qatari pilgrims cross over the border without electronic permits is a positive step and signals backing from politicizing the Hajj.
Meanwhile, some Qataris are criticizing the Saudi royal move on Twitter, using the hashtag 'No pilgrimage without lifting the siege'. Others raised concern about lodging and security in the Saudi kingdom during the pilgrimage.
