 Journalist Gil Tamary on Israeli television narrating his July 18 visit to Mount Arafat near Mecca. |
Imagine that, on conquering Jerusalem in 1967, Israel's government blocked non-Jews from visiting the Temple Mount. Then imagine that a Saudi Muslim sneaked onto the mount, claiming to be a Jewish American, and broadcast his visit on Saudi television. He would surely find global support for defying Israel's "apartheid" regime.
That's roughly what happened in reverse on July 18 when Gil Tamary—a Jewish Israeli television journalist who holds a U.S. passport—broadcast himself on Israeli television cruising around Mecca, the most sacred city of Islam, which is forbidden to non-Muslims. The 10-minute program featured Mr. Tamary's driving by the Great Mosque, passing through Mina, a site on the annual pilgrimage, and climbing Mount Arafat.
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Daniel Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum.