RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - A Saudi official said a cleric who announced that he would visit Jerusalem for a TV episode on claims to the city would be punished if he travels there. The State-owned Al-Watan newspaper on Wednesday quoted the passports office spokesman Lt. Col. Badr Malik as saying visiting Israel is prohibited and any violator is punishable under the law. Sheikh Mohamed al-Areefi told his viewers Sunday on his television show that he would visit occupied Jerusalem next week to support Muslim claims to the city. Associates of the cleric have since said he was misquoted and does not plan to take the trip. If al-Areefi visits Jerusalem, it would be an unprecedented trip for a prominent Saudi. Most Muslim countries observe a strict boycott of Israel.
