Journalist Neria Kraus fell victim to a prank on Monday evening while reporting live from the riots in Paris, after interviewing a man who presented himself as an Arab living in the city and supporting Israel. It later emerged that the man was an Israeli pretending to be an Arab.
Kraus, who was reporting for Sharon Gal's program on i24NEWS, encountered a passerby during the live broadcast who introduced himself as Ali from Baghdad and said he lived in Paris.
Asked about the riots in the city, he said he was frightened by the unrest and expressed support for Israel. During the interview, he insisted that Israel had been right all along.
He was then asked why Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags were being waved at demonstrations in Paris. The interviewee replied that he did not understand what the protests in France had to do with the Palestinian Arab issue, and even declared, "Am Yisrael Chai" ("The people of Israel live").
His remarks drew enthusiastic reactions from Kraus and host Sharon Gal. However, after the broadcast, it emerged that the interviewee was not an Arab from Iraq but an Israeli named Hezi, a resident of the Kfar Shalem neighborhood in southeastern Tel Aviv.
Hezi subsequently shared the interview clip on social media, revealing that he had decided to pose as an Arab after becoming bored while spending time on the streets of Paris.
"She was looking to interview a Frenchman and ended up with Hezi from Kfar Shalem," he wrote alongside the video.
He later added, "I couldn't believe they actually aired it."