Israeli journo slammed for sneaking into Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Israeli journalist Gil Tamary has breached a total ban on non-Muslims access to Makkah in Saudi Arabia and the sanctity of the holy city by sneaking into Islam’s holiest site.

Israel’s Channel 13 News aired a 10-minute report on Monday in which journalist Tamary drove past the Haram that houses the Ka’ba and climbed Jabal-e-Rahma (Mount of Mercy).

Tamary, who works for Israel’s Channel 13, continued to draw hostile reactions on Saudi social media Wednesday, two days after Tamary posted it on Twitter and one day after he followed up with an apology for any offence he might have caused.

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Tamary, who was accompanied by a local guide whose face was blurred to prevent identification, lowered his voice while speaking to the camera in Hebrew and at times switched to English to avoid revealing himself as Israeli.

AFP reports that in his roughly 10-minute clip, Tamary visits Mount Arafat, where pilgrims gather to pray during the climax of the hajj pilgrimage each year.

Tamary makes clear he knows what he’s doing is outlawed, referring to the site as “a place forbidden to non-Muslims” and declaring, “I am the first Israeli journalist on the spot to broadcast these images and in Hebrew.”

Responding to the outcry, Tamary said he wanted merely to “showcase the importance of Mecca” and the beauty of Islam while claiming the video “allowed many people to see, for the first time, a place that is so important to our Muslim brothers and sisters”.

Tamary’s justification of the video did little to quiet angry social media responses.

A hashtag which translates as “A Jew at the holy mosque” has been trending on Twitter, where one user on Wednesday urged Saudi authorities not to “injure the Islamic nation… by allowing Jews to desecrate the city of the Messenger of God”.

‘Shame for journalism’

Users took to social media to express their outrage at Tamary’s breach of the ban on non-Muslims entering Makkah.

“There are things that must be said: what Gil Tamary did is a shame for journalism,” Yoav Limor, another Israeli journalist who recently visited the kingdom, said on Twitter.

Another Twitter user, Avi Kaner, also expressed his outrage surrounding Tamari’s actions.

“You disrespected your gracious hosts as a publicity stunt. You uncovered absolutely nothing. There is a ton of footage available in the public domain about Mecca. You had an opportunity to make a proper apology but chose to defend yourself instead. Shame on you.”

The annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia concluded last week.

About 850,000 from all over the world, including 1,132 South Africans, performed Hajj this year.

In addition, 150,000 locals also performed Hajj bringing the total number of pilgrims to one million.

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