Saudi king rewards 1,000 Palestinian terrorists’ relatives with free Mecca pilgrimage
- King Salman's "generous act" of inviting terrorist prisoners' families for the Hajj shows that Saudi Arabia has not distanced itself from Palestinian terror
- PA Chairman Abbas personally thanked Saudi leadership for the "generous grant"
- Terrorists whose families were "honored" include Fatah terrorist prisoners Yusuf Abu Qandil and Karam Hassan, who murdered Israeli civilians
There has long been speculation about Saudi Arabia normalizing its relations with Israel, as part of US President Donald Trump's "Abraham Accords." However, a new reward by the Saudi king to "honor" Palestinian terrorists' families shows that the Saudi leadership does not reject Palestinian terror, nor those terrorists who murdered Israeli civilians.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas himself "thanked Saudi Arabia and its leadership for the generous grant they provided this year to 1,000 Palestinian pilgrims from among the families of the Martyrs, the prisoners, and the wounded" [Official PA TV News, June 9, 2025]. The relatives of "Martyrs, prisoners, and wounded" – meaning dead, imprisoned, and wounded terrorists – were flown to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
This gesture constitutes a sign of "loyalty" to the terrorists, and a commitment to "constant sponsorship and honoring" vis-a-vis their families, as noted by official PA TV:
Official PA TV reporter: "As part of a generous act from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques [Saudi King Salman], a convoy of pilgrims set out today to the Kaaba [in Mecca] from among the families of the Martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners… This initiative expresses the ongoing support of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom for the Palestinian cause, and emphasizes its diligence in easing the suffering of the affected families... out of appreciation for them and loyalty to the Martyrs, with an emphasis on how [the Martyrs'] families will remain a subject of constant sponsorship and honoring."
[Official PA TV News, May 31, 2025]
The terrorists whose families Saudi Arabia chose to honor include murderers bent on destroying Israel.
One of the honored pilgrims featured on official PA TV was Saif Abu Qandil. His brother, Fatah terrorist prisoner Yusuf Abu Qandil, together with an accomplice, shot and murdered Israeli civilian Victor Kreiderman and wounded his wife Emma in 2004. Saif Abu Qandil, who was flown to Mecca together with his sister, thanked Saudi Arabia for the "gesture" [Official PA TV, June 4, 2025].
Another pilgrim featured on PA TV was the sister of terrorist prisoner Karam Hassan. Hassan was a commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Fatah's terror wing, and oversaw the murder of Israeli civilian Ruth Shua'i in a 2001 drive-by shooting. His sister said:
"We thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the [Saudi] Crown Prince, and thanks to the Saudi people."
[Official PA TV, June 4, 2025]
The PA has not published a list of the names of the 1000 terrorists whose relatives were flown to Mecca, so PMW cannot determine how many are murderers, beyond the two who were interviewed on PA TV.
Trump and Israel should make it clear to the Saudi king that honoring terrorist murderers of Jews by rewarding their families is terror glorification and sends a message to Palestinians that Saudi Arabia welcomes Palestinian terror. This message is incompatible with a normalization process with Israel.
The following are longer excerpts and additional information from the reports cited above:
Official PA TV newsreader: "[PA] President [Mahmoud Abbas] thanked Saudi Arabia and its leadership for the generous grant they provided this year to 1,000 Palestinian pilgrims from among the families of the Martyrs, the prisoners, and the wounded. This eased their pain caused to them as a result of their imprisonment, wounding, or Martyrdom-death."
[Official PA TV News, June 9, 2025]
Official PA TV newsreader: "500 pilgrims from among the families of the Martyrs and prisoners (i.e., terrorists) set out this morning [for Saudi Arabia]."
…
Official PA TV reporter: "As part of a generous act from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques [Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud], a convoy of pilgrims set out today to the Kaaba [in Mecca] from among the families of the Martyrs, the wounded, and the prisoners… This initiative expresses the ongoing support of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom for the Palestinian cause, and emphasizes its diligence in easing the suffering of the affected families and enabling them to perform the commandment of the pilgrimage, out of appreciation for them and loyalty to the Martyrs, with an emphasis on how [the Martyrs'] families will remain a subject of constant sponsorship and honoring."
[Official PA TV News, May 31, 2025]
Saif Abu Qandil: "I am pilgrim Saif Abu Qandil from Jenin [refugee] camp, the brother of Martyr Fida Abu Qandil and my brother prisoner Yusuf Abu Qandil (i.e., terrorist, murdered 1)... My sister and I came as pilgrims from Jenin to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as part of a gesture by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques [Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud] and his [Saudi] Crown Prince." ...
Pilgrim: "I am the sister of prisoner Karam Hassan (i.e., terrorist, responsible for murder of 1) from Qalqilya who was sentenced to life... We thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Crown Prince, and thanks to the Saudi people."
[Official PA TV, June 4, 2025]