Registration for low-cost Haj begins

August 17, 2015

Jeddah, Aug 17: Residents who want to benefit from the government’s low¬cost Haj scheme can now register themselves on the localhaj.haj.gov.sa website. Because of the limited quota, the registration should be done early.

The process began on Sunday (Dul Qaada 1) and packages available start from SR3,000.

Majid Siddique, media coordinator for the Siddique Haj Group, told Arab News that the ministry has started online registration for normal and low-cost Haj.

He explained that the quota is very limited this year — about 41,000 — with around 40 operators’ prices ranging from SR3,000 to SR5,250, depending on the location of the tents in Mina and transportation. One should expect minimum services in the low-cost category.

His group is offering packages for normal Haj from SR5,893 to SR7,000.

According to the Ministry of Haj, there are six low-fare Haj categories depending on availability of transportation by buses and trains. Children are not allowed in low-cost Haj, and the pilgrims will be provided with normal tents.

According to the ministry, the normal Haj charges range from SR7,546 to SR8,146.

In the normal and VIP Haj category, tents are prepared with gypsum board and aluminum doors. Facilities given to them are air conditioning, speakers, sofa beds, pillows, sheet sets, comforters, shelves for luggage and shoes, carpets, artificial grass walkways, Wi-Fi, toilets (one for each 30 Hajis and one for special-needs pilgrims), sanitary items, medical clinic, religious guide and security guards.

The ministry has said that bookings for all categories of local Haj should be done online through its portal http://localhaj.haj.gov.sa

Meanwhile, 18 Saudi transport companies have prepared 17,700 well-equipped buses — 1,698 of them new — to ferry 1.3 million pilgrims coming from abroad.

A private transport official said the government wants to offer best services to the pilgrims and help them perform Haj with safety, ease and comfort. As part of preparations, Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar has authorized three new companies that have 150 buses.

Another transport official said that every year buses in poor condition are replaced by new ones to ensure safety of the pilgrims.

He said there are 24,000 jobs for drivers and technicians for the season provided by the transport companies.

He added that the impact of the Al-Mashaer Metro is still limited because the metro is only available on one line.

A total of 240 Haj campaigns are ready to take care of 200,000 local pilgrims, local media has reported.

Ministry Undersecretary Hussien Al-Sharief was quoted as saying that more than 200 companies have already registered their services on its website.

He called on these companies to be quick on entering their bank account numbers on the electronic portal for those who are interested in doing Haj.

He said as of this year the number of domestic pilgrims will once again be the same as in previous years because of the expansion at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque. Because of this, new companies are being allowed to offer services.

Al-Sharief said that after the end of the Haj season, there will be an evaluation of the level of performance of the electronic portal and of the special prices relating to different paths.

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Hundreds of Palestinian kids kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured by Israel: UN expert expresses shock

News Network

November 14,2024

The UN special rapporteur for Palestine has slammed Israel’s parliament for passing a law authorizing the detention of Palestinian children, who are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” in Israeli custody.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in a Thursday post on X, characterized the experiences of Palestinian minors in Israeli detention as extreme and often inhumane.

The UN expert highlighted the grave impact of this policy, noting that up to 700 Palestinian minors are taken into custody each year, a practice she described as part of an unlawful occupation that views these children as potential threats.

Albanese said Palestinian minors in Israeli custody are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” and that “generations of Palestinians will carry the scars and trauma from the Israeli mass incarceration system.”

She further criticized the international community for its inaction, suggesting that ongoing diplomatic efforts, which often rely on the idea of resuming negotiations for peace, have contributed to normalizing such human rights violations against Palestinian children and the broader population.

The comments by Albanese came in response to Israel’s parliament (Knesset) passing a law on November 7 that authorizes the detention of Palestinian children under the age of 14 for “terrorism or terrorist activities.”

Under the legislation, a temporary five-year measure, once the individuals turn 14, they will be transferred to adult prison to continue serving their sentences.

Additionally, the law allows for a three-year clause that enables courts to incarcerate minors in adult prisons for up to 10 days if they are considered dangerous. Courts have the authority to extend this duration if necessary, according to the Knesset.

The legislation underscores a shift in the treatment of minors and raises alarms among human rights advocates regarding the legal and ethical ramifications of detaining children and the conditions under which they may be held.

Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently in Israeli jails—around one-third without charge or trial. Also, an unknown number are arbitrarily held following a wave of arrests in the wake of the regime's genocidal war on Gaza.

Since the onset of the Gaza war, the Israeli regime, under the supervision of extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has turned prisons and detention centers into “death chambers,” the ministry of detainees and ex-detainees’ affairs in Gaza says.

Violence, extreme hunger, humiliation, and other forms of abuse of Palestinian prisoners have been normalized across Israel’s jail system, reports indicate.

Over 270 Palestinian minors are being detained by Israeli authorities, in violation of UN resolutions and international treaties that forbid the incarceration of children, as reported by Palestinian rights organizations.

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