Israeli minister criticises ‘stupid’ TV report in Saudi Arabia’s Mecca by non-Muslim journalist

The documentary was made and aired ‘for the sake of ratings,’ the Arab-Israeli minister said

Muslim pilgrims circle the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, in July 2022 (Amr Nabil/AP)

An Israeli government minister has criticised a journalist’s trip to the holy Islamic city of Mecca as “stupid” as he said it “harms” Israel’s attempts to improve its relations with Gulf nations.

Gil Tamary was featured in a 10-minute documentary filmed in the Saudi Arabian city and aired on Israeli television’s Channel 13 News on Monday.

Mr Tamary, the channel’s chief international editor, was filmed in parts of the city that is closed to non-Muslims.

He visited the Grand Mosque, which surrounds the Kaaba, where pilgrims travelled earlier this month to complete Hajj – one of the five pillars of Islam.

Mr Tamary also climbed the Mount of Mercy, which oversees the plain of Arafat – where Prophet Mohammed held his last sermon about 1,400 years ago – accompanied by a guide whose face had been blurred to prevent identification.

Muslim pilgrims pray on top of the Mountain of Mercy on 8 July 2022 during Hajj (AP)

In the documentary, Mr Tamary speaks quietly to the camera in Hebrew and, at times, switches to English to avoid revealing that he’s Israeli.

Issawi Frej, who is the second-ever Muslim to serve in an Israeli government, told public broadcaster Kan: “I’m sorry [but] it was a stupid thing to do and take pride in.

“It was irresponsible and damaging to air this report just for the sake of ratings.”

The minister for regional cooperation said the report has harmed US-encouraged efforts to normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, similar to the 2020 diplomatic deals with the UAE and Bahrain.

Issawi Frej, the second-ever Muslim minister in Israel’s government, criticised the documentary (Creative Commons)

The broadcast also garnered criticism from Saudis, including pro-Israel Saudi activist Mohammed Saud who tweeted: “My dear friends in Israel, a journalist of yours entered the city of Mecca, holy to Islam, and filmed there shamelessly.

“Shame on you Channel 13, for hurting the religion of Islam like that. You are rude.”

At the time of filming the documentary, Mr Tamary was in Jeddah covering US president Joe Biden’s visit last week. It was unclear whether authorities had approved his trip to Mecca.

He later apologised, saying he did not mean to offend Muslims.

He said: “If anyone takes offence to this video, I deeply apologise.

“The purpose of this entire endeavour was to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty of the religion, and in doing so, foster more religious tolerance and inclusion.”

Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel. It said that recognition of the state would only come after addressing Palestinian statehood goals first.

Additional reporting by Reuters