A Paris-based reporter for Israeli news outlets was denied a visa to Saudi Arabia to cover the French president’s visit.
Gideon Kouts, who is Jewish, told the online European Jewish Press agency that he was denied a visa to cover Nicolas Sarkozy’s official trip to Saudi Arabia for Israeli radio and television stations “because I am writing about Israel.”
Kouts, who also writes for the French-Jewish magazine L’Arche, previously received a Saudi visa to travel with former French President Jacques Chirac. He also traveled to Libya with Sarkozy in December.
“This is setting a dangerous precedent which can affect any Jewish journalist who covers Israeli-related news,” Kouts told EJP.
The Union of Jewish Communities of the Parisian region denounced Saudi Arabia’s decision.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
