Delegation of Arab journalists makes unprecedented visit to Israel
Saudi blogger is seen on social media being heckled by Palestinians as he entered Jerusalem's Old City
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Arab journalists from around the Middle East flocked into Israel on Sunday following an invitation from the Foreign Ministry.
Six reporters from countries including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt crossed into Israel via the Allenby Bridge for a series of meetings and events with Israeli officials.
"The delegation will visit Yad Vashem, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament), and Jerusalem's holy sites," a statement from the Foreign Ministry read.
"The delegation will meet with members of the Knesset, officials from the foreign ministry and academics," the statement continues, and will "tour northern Israel, Haifa, Nazareth and Tel Aviv."
The statement adds that the aim of the invitation is to "expose the journalists, some of whom come from countries that Israel has no relations with, to Israeli positions on political and geographical issues, and give them a direct view of Israeli society in all its forms."
A list of the journalist invited to tour the Holy Land was not immediately available, The Jerusalem Post reported.
However, Hebrew-speaking Saudi blogger Mohammed Saud was seen on social media being heckled by Palestinians as he entered the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City.
A video posted shows a child spitting on Saud and others yelling at him to leave as he visits the holy site.
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The delegation’s visit comes just weeks after Israeli journalists from six Hebrew media outlets were invited to Bahrain to cover the US-sponsored Peace to prosperity workshop in Manama.
The invitation marks the latest development in growing ties between Israel and the Arab world, with contact occurring more frequently in the open.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz met publicly with Bahrain's top diplomat Sheikh Khaled al-Ahmad al-Khalifa last Thursday, with a photo of the two later uploaded to social media.