Christian Chesnot is a French journalist working for Radio France who, along with Georges Malbrunot and Muhammed al-Jundi (their driver), was taken hostage on August 20, 2004, by the Islamic Army in Iraq. This group gave the French government a 48-hour deadline to repeal its law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools. The ultimatum was delivered by means of video broadcast on the Arab TV channel Al Jazeera at 6.30 p.m. GMT on August 26. Both French hostages were released on the December 21, 2004. Christian Chesnot has written on the issue of water in the Middle East and, more specifically, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.