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An Israeli minister has condemned a TV report by an Israeli journalist who illegally entered Mecca, Islam's holiest site, and reported from there, despite the ban on non-Muslims.
Minister Essawi Farage called the report "foolish and harmful" for the relations between Israel and the Gulf countries.
After the online reaction on social media, Israeli journalist Gul Tamri himself has also apologized for the incident.
Israel's Channel 13 News on Monday aired a 10-minute report from Saudi Arabia by its journalist Gul Tamri, showing him traveling in a car next to the Grand Mosque in Makkah and climbing Jabal Rahmat.
In the video, the journalist is seen with what appears to be a local guide. The man's face was blurred in the video to hide his identity.
Gul Tamri lowers his voice while speaking Hebrew on camera and sometimes starts speaking English so as not to reveal that he is Israeli.
MOTOROLA MOTO G62 PRICE & SPECIFICATION
Speaking to public broadcaster Kan, Israel's Muslim minister for regional cooperation, Issawi Farage, said: "I'm sorry (but) it was a stupid thing to do and then be proud of it." Airing this report just for the sake of ratings was irresponsible and harmful.
Essawi Farage said the report undermines US efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Arab countries.
After the report was aired, the hashtag 'A Jew in Mecca's mosque' continued to trend on Twitter in the Middle East.
A Saudi national, Mohammad Saud, wrote on Twitter: “Israel, one of your journalists entered the holy city of Islam in Mecca and shamelessly filmed there. Channel 13 should be ashamed of you for insulting the religion of Islam in this way. You are rude.'
Gul Tamri was covering US President Joe Biden's visit to Jeddah on Friday. It was not clear whether the authorities had approved his trip to Mecca or not. Later on his visit, he apologized saying that his intention was not to offend Muslims.
He wrote in English on Twitter: "If anyone takes offense to this video, I apologize from the bottom of my heart." The purpose of this whole effort was to show the importance of Mecca and the beauty of this religion.
The journalist claimed: 'Investigation is the heart and center of journalism' and reported with the desire to show people 'for the first time a place that is so important to our Muslim brothers and sisters and to human history. '
Apparently, the Israeli journalists entered Mecca without permission from the authorities. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations and Riyadh does not recognize Israel as a state.
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