Saudi Arabia Reopens Qatar Border for Hajj Pilgrims
Muslim pilgrims from all around the world circle around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, in the Saudi city of Mecca on September 14, 2016.
Photographer: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that it is reopening its border with Qatar to allow Qataris to attend the hajj, despite a monthslong rift between Doha and four Arab countries led by Riyadh that prompted both sides to trade accusations of politicizing the pilgrimage.
The decision came after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held a surprise meeting with a Qatari royal family member whose branch of the family was ousted in a palace coup in 1972.