Muslims pray for intifada

Pilgrims were urged to support the Palestinians

About two million Muslim pilgrims, who are in Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the annual Hajj, have attended Friday prayers calling for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza and the West Bank.

Gathering amid tight security at the Grand Mosque, the holiest site of Islam, the pilgrims listened to appeals for support for the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, against Israel.

The violence has cost over 400 lives - most of them Palestinian.

But one of the prayer leaders, Sheikh Abdel Rahman al-Sudais, also urged pilgrims to refrain from any political demonstrations when the Hajj rituals start in earnest on Saturday.

This year, the Saudis say, a record number of pilgrims are expected to reach Saudi Arabia from 100 foreign countries.

Close watch

Two years ago, the authorities limited their own citizens to making the Hajj only once every five years in an effort to control numbers.

As this year's pilgrimage builds towards its climax on Sunday, those in charge will be keeping a close watch on the pilgrims.

Every able-bodied Muslim who can afford the trip must attend the Hajj at least once in a lifetime.

On Saturday, it moves to the valley of Mina outside Mecca where pilgrims will keep an all-night vigil.