Saudi Arabia: Arrested for Helping Israeli Journalist Enter Mecca
Pilgrims in front of the Great Mosque of Mecca, April 13, 2021. AP - Amr Nabil
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
A Saudi man has been arrested, accused of being the driver of an Israeli journalist who illegally traveled to Mecca, the holy city of Islam last week.
Entry to Mecca is prohibited for people of other religions, and officially, Saudi Arabia has no diplomatic relations with Israel.
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The video, broadcast by TV channel 13 in Israel, has been causing a stir in the Muslim world for several days.
"
Here we are in Mecca
", rejoices in Hebrew then in English Gil Tamari.
"
A dream come true
," says the Israeli journalist.
But the man knew of his unlawful presence.
The signs prohibiting the road to Mecca to non-Muslims are filmed, the face of its driver is blurred.
And he alternates between Hebrew and English, so as not to be identified as an Israeli journalist, he explains.
"
A crime committed
"
But the broadcast of this video has aroused very strong reactions on social networks.
For many Muslims, the presence of a journalist from another faith in Mecca is a "desacralization".
“
We should be less concerned about tourism and openness if it means ignoring the orders of Almighty God
,” reacted one of them on Twitter.
The video is embarrassing for Saudi and Israeli authorities.
The two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations, but have
begun a rapprochement
.
The video risks antagonizing Muslim public opinion.
Forced to react, Saudi Arabia evokes a “
crime committed
” and announced, this Friday, to have identified and arrested the driver.
And the Israeli journalist's file was sent to the public prosecutor's office.
Disclaimer: I would like to reiterate that this visit to Mecca was not intended to offend Muslims, or any other person.
If anyone takes offense to this video, I deeply apologize.
The purpose of this entire endeavor was to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty
.... https://t.co/aAxipctRrG
— גיל תמרי (@tamarygil) July 19, 2022
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