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Saudi Arabia to Allow Mosques to Open for Friday Prayers

Worshippers perform Eid prayers at the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Worshippers perform Eid prayers at the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia to Allow Mosques to Open for Friday Prayers

Worshippers perform Eid prayers at the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Worshippers perform Eid prayers at the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia will allow mosques to open for Friday prayers, state TV reported on Tuesday, as the Kingdom eases restrictions on movement to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Mosques will be authorized to open 20 minutes before Friday prayers and should close 20 minutes after they finish, state TV said on Twitter, citing the ministry of Islamic affairs.

Saudi authorities said on Monday that restrictions would be lifted in three phases, culminating in a curfew ending - with the exception of the holy city of Makkah - from June 21.

The Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which attract millions of travellers from around the world, will remain suspended until further notice.

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Qatar Rejects ‘Provocative’ Statements Issued by Netanyahu's Office

Majed al-Ansari, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson. (Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Majed al-Ansari, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson. (Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Qatar Rejects ‘Provocative’ Statements Issued by Netanyahu's Office

Majed al-Ansari, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson. (Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Majed al-Ansari, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson. (Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Qatar strongly rejected on Saturday what it described as “provocative” Israeli statements made by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Majed al-Ansari, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said the “Israeli statements fall short of the most basic standards of political and moral responsibility”.
He added: "Picturing the ongoing aggression in Gaza as a defense of civilization brings back rhetorics used by regimes throughout history to justify their crimes under false pretenses”.
Earlier, Netanyahu’s office called on Qatar, a key mediator between Israel and the Hamas group in Gaza, to "stop playing both sides with its double talk and decide if it's on the side of civilization or if it's on the side of Hamas".