Israel’s Netanyahu promises direct flights from Tel Aviv to Makkah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to arrange direct flights between Tel Aviv and Makkah in Saudi Arabia to allow Muslim Palestinians living in Israel to perform Hajj and Umrah easily.

“We are working to introduce direct flights from Tel Aviv to Makkah for the benefit of Muslim pilgrims who intend to perform the Hajj,” Netanyahu said in a Facebook post which was later deleted.

The introduction of a direct link between Tel Aviv and Makkah has raised questions about the political and economic implications on Jordan.

For years, Palestinians living in Israel have travelled to Saudi Arabia via Jordan using temporary passports issued by Jordan specifically for this purpose, as Israeli passport holders are not allowed entry to Saudi Arabia.

READ: Muslim citizens of Israel reject Netanyahu’s plan to use pilgrimage for normalisation