Saudi Blogger on Arab Media Tour to Israel Attacked atop Temple Mount

A Saudi blogger on a rare Arab media tour organized by the Israeli Foreign Ministry was harassed in Jerusalem by Muslim worshippers atop the Temple Mount, known in Islam as Haram al-Sharif. A video of the incident shows a child spitting on Mohammed Saud, while others curse him. Other footage shows people throwing objects at Saud, in addition to people calling him an “animal” and “Zionist trash.” According to Israeli media, a Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman “strongly condemn[ed] the cruel and immoral behavior of some Palestinians near the al-Aqsa Mosque toward a Saudi media personality who came to Jerusalem to be a bridge to peace and understanding between peoples.” Saud is one of six Arab journalists and bloggers, including Jordanian and Iraqi citizens, brought to Israel in order to educate regional influencers to view the Jewish state in a way that is outside the prism of the conflict with the Palestinians. Saud, who speaks Hebrew, is a supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, with whom he was expected to meet following his ordeal. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the trip as a “blessing to the occupation, which continues to shed the blood of [Palestinians].”