Israeli journalist apologises after entering Mecca amid Israel-Saudi normalisation outrage

An Israeli journalist has apologised after he snuck into the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, entering religious sites that are traditionally reserved only for Muslims.

Gil Tamari, the world news editor at Channel 13, took a video of himself crossing into the holy city and pointing to the Grand Mosque, as seen in footage shared by his network.  

The footage sparked fury among social media users as non-Muslims are traditionally banned from entering Mecca and Medina as prescribed in verses from the Quran. 

Tamari has since issued an apology for his actions, claiming his only intention was "to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty".

Gil Tamari, is the first Israeli reporter to be able to enter Mecca and embark on a journey there - approaching the clock tower and the Kaaba, and reaching Mount Arafa.

Saudi Arabia betrayed not only Palestine, but Islam. pic.twitter.com/mLhAVqYPKD

— Lebanese News and Updates (@LebUpdate) July 19, 2022

"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 of the religion, and in doing so foster more religious tolerance and inclusion," he tweeted.

However, he stood by his report, saying his willingness to enter the holy site proves his journalistic integrity.

"Inquisitiveness is at the heart and center of journalism, and this type of first-hand journalistic encounter is what separates good journalism from great journalism," he added.

Channel 13 also said the report did not intend to offend Muslims.

'The visit of our world news editor Gil Tamari to Mecca is an important journalistic accomplishment, which was not meant to offend Muslims," it said in a statement.

It added that “journalistic curiosity is the very soul of the journalist profession. The principles of journalism are rooted in reaching any location and documenting events firsthand.”

Israeli Jewish journalist enters holy city of Mecca in #Saudi Arabia, which is closed to non-Muslims.

One question that has emerged: How will Saudi Arabia approach political decisions which run counter to its obligations as custodian of holy sites?https://t.co/ID4gUylQW3

— Mohammad Ali Shabani (@mashabani) July 19, 2022

Meanwhile, an Israeli minister has denounced the report as 'stupid and harmful' to Israel-Gulf ties.

"I'm sorry (but) it was a stupid thing to do and take pride in," Israel's regional cooperation minister Esawi Freij, who is Muslim, told public broadcaster Kan. "It was irresponsible and damaging to air this report just for the sake of ratings."

Last week, several Israel journalists travelled to Saudi Arabia to cover US President Joe Biden’s Middle East tour. 

Ahead of the president’s flight to the kingdom, Saudi Arabia announced it was opening its airspace to Israeli planes, a move that was widely perceived as a step towards normalisation. 

Palestinians and their allies are highly critical of normalisation agreements - already brokered between Israel and the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco - given Israel's systematic persecution of Palestinians.