5 Palestinians cycles from Jerusalem to Mecca to support UN bid

Five Palestinians from the West Bank city of Hebron kicked off Monday in a bike tour from Jerusalem to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in support of a Palestinian bid for statehood in the UN. The trip, dubbed "From Jerusalem to Mecca ... Yes for the Palestinian State" coincides with the pilgrimage season of the Muslims allover the world, which will start early in November. The five cyclists had made intensive preparations and received training for their trip in the desert area in southern West Bank where temperature is as high as in the Arab Peninsula. The five would travel on their bikes for about 1,800 km, from Jerusalem to Amman, the Jordanian capital, and then to Mecca. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) helped them get the visas to Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Suhaib Zahdeh, the trainer of the team, told Xinhua that the cyclists conducted the 50-day trip to voice the Palestinian demand for self-determination. Sedqi Mutawea', one of the cyclists, said his participation into the trip "is the simplest mean to express support for a statehood."