Pilgrims circle Grand Mosque
Photo: Reuters
Report: Arab-Israeli arrested in Mecca
MK Tibi, Jordanians plead with Saudi authorities to free Fureidis resident suspected of assaulting officer during hajj
An Arab-Israeli who made the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia for Eid al-Adha (Muslim festival of sacrifice) was arrested Saturday for allegedly assaulting a local police officer, the Nazareth-based Arabic newspaper Kul al-Arab reported.
Relatives of the Israeli, a resident of Fureidis, near Zichron Yaakov, turned to Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) for help. The MK confirmed to Ynet that he had contacted Saudi authorities to facilitate the man's release.
The detainee's son told Kul al-Arab "to our understanding, my father was arrested following a routine argument with a few people."
According to the newspaper, in recent days a Jordanian delegation to Mecca has conducted intense negotiations with the Saudis to free the Israeli. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Amman has also been asked to intervene in the matter, the report said.
On foot and on the roofs of overflowing buses, Muslims poured into Mecca on Wednesday for a final day of the hajj, a once-in-a-lifetime journey for the faithful who hope to purify their souls of sin with the rites at Islam's holiest sites around the city of Mecca.
Around midday, the Grand Mosque, Islam's holiest shrine, was packed with pilgrims performing the Tawaf al-Widaa, or the "farewell circling" of the Kaaba — walking seven times around the cubical structure while praying and reading the Quran, Islam's holy book.
Many of the nearly 3 million pilgrims came by bus or on foot from the nearby plain of Mina, where they had completed the ritual known as the stoning of the devil earlier in the day.
Roee Nahmias and AP contributed to the report
