There was an outcry on social media when an Israeli journalist defied a prohibition on non-Muslims entering the Muslim holy city of Makkah.
The Hebrew station “13 News” in Israel aired a 10-minute report on Monday showing journalist Gil Tamary driving near Masjid al-Haram and successfully climbing Mount Arafat.
Masjid al-Haram, the house of Allah, houses the Holy Kaaba.
In order to remain anonymous, Tamary was escorted by a local guide who wore a mask over his face.
When speaking to the camera in Hebrew, Tamary kept his voice low and occasionally switched to English to avoid disclosing his Israeli nationality.
This is the first time a Jewish Israeli journalist has covered the annual Muslim pilgrimage known as Hajj.
With a huge internet outcry immediately following its airing, “A Jew in Makkah” became a hot hashtag on Twitter.
Saudi activist Mohammad Saud, who is pro-Israel, was one of the detractors.
According to him, an Israeli journalist “shamelessly” filmed a video in the holy city of Islam known as “Makkah.”
People on Channel 13 should be ashamed of themselves for defaming Islam in this manner, he said.
Muslim minister for regional cooperation in Israel, Esavi Faraj, called Tamary’s report “disastrous” to relations between Israel and the Gulf.
Because of his comments, he called the broadcast of the report “reckless and damaging.”
