He eventually became a news correspondent for various Netherlands-based media organisations in the Middle East for a number of years. He was based in Egypt, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories. He also reported on the Second Gulf War in Iraq. His book "Het zijn net mensen" (2006, "They're just like people") is a report of his experiences as a news correspondent in the Middle East, and quickly became a bestseller in the Netherlands. The book has since been translated and published in Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Australia, the United States, France and Slovenia. The title in English is "Fit to Print" (Australia), "Hello, Everybody!" (United Kingdom) or "People Like Us" (United States).