The Jenin Freedom Theatre issued a press release today: acting student Rami Awni Hwayel, 20, has been arrested by the IDF.
Batool Taleb, one of the female acting students who was in the car with Rami describes what happened: "When they got to our car, they took all our IDs and when they saw Rami's ID they told him to get out of the car. Once he was out they immediately handcuffed and blindfolded him and put him in the army jeep."
It has only been ten days since The Freedom Theatre was attacked and raided by IDF special forces who arrested two other members of the theatre at that time, location manager Adnan Naghnaghiye and member of the board Bilal Saadi. Hwayel is now the third member to be detained.
The students had been rehearsing for their final graduation project directed by the Israeli-American Director Udi Aloni in Ramallah.
"This is devastating, Rami is playing the main role in 'Waiting for Godot' and doing an amazing job, he's so dedicated to the work. He just left rehearsals today for the weekend to see his family for Ramadan. It's terrible, we want our Pozzo back!", says Udi Aloni.
This breaks my heart. How much agony can this community endure? It makes me wonder what the hell is Israel's beef with the Freedom Theatre? Maybe they don't like young creative Palestinian voices. Maybe they want strong young men out on the street aspiring to be martyrs.
Do I need to point out that a critical component of any definition of ethnic cleansing are deliberate attacks by the government on the culture of the group they are trying to expunge? How many Jewish actors did the Nazi regime arrest?
Under age walking.
Kicking a ball without a proper permit, and unlicensed thespianism.
I don’t understand what Annie’s problem is. What, she expects these felonious behaviours to go unpunished?
The play could just as easily have been entitled Waiting for Oslo.
A culture of oppression meets the culture of the oppressed.
People that sing and laugh while tortured is very irritating for torturers.
Irritating your oppressors or torturers is not very nice.
Stop making IDF feel like victims. They do not want to hurt you.
But if you insist….
I want to hear from RW about how this is just another example of the “Jewish state” defending itself against “dissent”.
Damn you, Hamas!!!
It seems obvious that Israel wants to shut down the Freedom Theater.
Also I have little doubt that the murderer of Juliano Mer Khamis last April was Israeli.
Israel’s actions against the theater point the finger right at the Israeli governent.
I have little doubt that the murderers of Juliano Mer-Khamis wants to harm EVERYONE that criticize the crimes of israel in just the same way.
Cosa Nostra is a pretty name.
Could the UN have a referendum to change the name of israel?
My thoughts also Jan. Kill Mer Khamis, raid the theater, and now start arresting participants.
Who knows what the Israel’s intentions are here – probably just to turn up the heat in the pressure cooker of occupation and spark a violent intifada.
Just checked out B’Tselem stats on Palestinians being held in administrative detention to see if any of that speculation bears out, the most recent info is from April:
Administrative detainees by month, 2011:
April: 219
March: 217
Feb: 214
Jan: 219
The numbers are up over those of a year ago – when it dipped under 200, but hard to know if there’s a trend there. I’d like to see the more recent numbers.
Who knows what the Israel’s intentions are here
The simplest explanation is to destroy Palestinian culture. Golda Meir asserted there is no such thing as a Palestinian. The Palestinians have without doubt proved her wrong. Golda’s heirs are just trying to accomplish her vision. Destroying Palestinian theater will go some ways towards that end.
“Maybe they want strong young men out on the street aspiring to be martyrs.”
In my opinion, this is very close to the truth.
The narrative of History often appears incoherent until decades have passed.
Had it not been through its violent phase, the Palestinian struggle would still be unknown. Were it still violent, it would remain misunderstood.
Retaliation (which can always be characterised as provocation) is essential to Israel’s false narrative.
Consider the value, to Israel, of rocket fire which, at its peak, claimed one or two lives per annum (in Israel, HIV Aids claims about 100, car accidents about 400) .
With the rocket package you get impunity for settlements, IDF repression, unbridled attacks on civilians such as Cast Lead, totalitarian control.
Add suicide attacks and bingo! Carte Blanche.
Trying to crush culture is an important element of trying to crush a people. It’s occupation 101, folks.
RE: “It makes me wonder what the hell is Israel’s beef with the Freedom Theatre?” ~ annie
FROM ALISTAIR COOK, London Review of Books, 03/03/11:
SOURCE – link to lrb.co.uk
ALSO SEE: Learned helplessness - link to en.wikipedia.org
the success of the flotilla, BDS and other non-violent actions and campaigns and statements is so clearly working, I do hope the Palestinians can maintain self-control and discipline in the face of these ongoing cruel and hideous provocations and remember that the momentum is on their side and they need mere mass in numbers and be a presence – a NON-VIOLENT presence – that is the immovable stone … israel and zionists will have to be the ones to go around, meaning they will have to change
whoa, check out this graphic. it’s under gag order, no one can write about it in israel wtf?