KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is grateful for being part of Saudi Arabia’s flagship Makkah Route initiative, the chief of its Hajj operations has told Arab News, with the last batch of pilgrims set to depart from Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

Malaysia is among seven Muslim-majority countries — alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, Turkey and Cote d’Ivoire — where Saudi Arabia opened its Makkah Route initiative.

“We are deeply grateful to Saudi Arabia for continuing the initiative in Malaysia for the fifth year. The Makkah Route initiative has indeed helped ease the journey of our hajj pilgrims significantly,” said Syed Saleh Syed Abdul Rahman, executive of Tabung Haji — Malaysia’s Hajj board — and head of the Malaysian Hajj delegation.

“The Makkah Route initiative has proven to be very smooth, effective and helpful for Malaysian pilgrims. This could not have been done without the assistance rendered by various parties especially the Saudi Arabian government and its relevant government agencies.”

The program, launched in 2019, is dedicated to Hajj pilgrims, allowing them to fulfill all visa, customs and health requirements at the airport of origin, saving long hours of waiting. Upon arrival, pilgrims can enter the Kingdom without waiting, having already gone through visa and customs processes back home.

This year, 31,600 Malaysians are participating in the annual pilgrimage that is one of the five pillars of Islam. Most of them have already reached the Kingdom.

Rahman said they “admired and praised” Saudi efforts, which had “provided tremendous convenience” for the pilgrims, especially the elderly who, without the Makkah Route, would have spent long hours on immigration procedures at home and upon arrival.

When Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah saw off the first batch of pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia via the initiative earlier this month, he expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom’s Hajj services and assistance.

“We hope that the close relationship that has been established for a long time between Malaysia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to serve the pilgrims,” the king said.

The special Hajj flights under the Makkah Route initiative will conclude in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

“The first phase of Hajj operations involving departure flights is almost completed and will end on June 21, 2023,” Rahman said.

“All praise to Allah, everything is progressing according to plan and the Hajj operation has been smooth.”

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday condemned Israeli aggression in the city of Jenin the previous day that led to the death of six Palestinians and injured dozens of others.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement denouncing and condemning the Israeli escalation of actions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Kingdom expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and to the government and people of Palestine, wishing those injured a speedy recovery.

The ministry reaffirmed the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of the serious violations committed by Israeli occupation forces.

News agency Associated Press reported that Israeli military forces raided a refugee camp in the northern West Bank which left six Palestinians dead, including a 15-year-old boy, while injuring more than 90, according to Palestinian health officials.

AP originally reported five Palestinian fatalities, but the toll increased when 48-year-old Amjad Abu Jaas succumbed to wounds sustained in a gun battle. Eight Israeli soldiers were wounded while a dozen Palestinians were left in a critical condition.

Last month the Kingdom condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and reiterated Saudi Arabia’s firm position toward the Palestinian people.

Thousands of Jewish nationalists, some of them chanting “Death to Arabs” and other slogans, paraded through the main Palestinian thoroughfare of Jerusalem’s Old City on Thursday.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Gulf Cooperation Council have reiterated their support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The Saudi foreign minister spoke about the Kingdom’s stance on the Palestinian cause during a panel discussion on “The Geostrategic Role of Middle Eastern Countries” at the Munich Security Conference in February.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan said: “We have a moral responsibility to try to find a pathway to peace because the suffering that will come both in Palestine and in Israel if we don’t find a pathway to peace is indescribable.

“Therefore, we will do what we can. We will engage with whomever we can to find that pathway.”