An Israeli reporter slipped into the Islamic holy city of Mecca during a trip to Saudi Arabia, sparking controversy on social media and illustrating the sensitivities of closer ties between the two countries.
The journalist for Israel’s Channel 13 TV news, Gil Tamary, published a video of himself on a drive through Mecca, despite rules forbidding entry to non-Muslims enforced by a system of checkpoints. He also climbed Mount Arafat, a sacred site where Muslims gather during the hajj pilgrimage. His trip didn’t appear to be authorized or sanctioned by Saudi authorities, and his report was published after he returned to Israel.
Saudi Arabia and Israel have no diplomatic relations, but ties have been gradually improving and several Israeli journalists entered the kingdom using foreign passports during U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit last week.
Coinciding with the visit, Saudi Arabia announced that it would open its airspace for all airlines, including for flights to and from Israel, a move that Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called a “first official normalization step.” However Saudi officials say that any normalization of ties won’t happen until Israel resolves its conflict with the Palestinians.
Israel has struggled to expand its diplomatic relations in the Arab world since 2020, when it normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco under a U.S.-brokered agreement.
Tamary’s video from Mecca was quickly picked up and spread on social media by anti-government Saudi dissidents condemning it, and stirred anger among other Saudis.
Some Israelis also criticized it, saying that it was disrespectful to local traditions. In the report, Tamary said it was his dream to visit Mecca, and that the person who agreed to take him didn’t know he was an Israeli journalist.
In a tweet Tuesday, an apologetic Tamary said his excursion hadn’t been intended to offend Muslims, rather to “showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty of the religion.”
