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Last update - 00:00 30/08/2007
Egyptian Actors' Union to probe movie star working with Israeli
By The Associated Press
Tags: Yigal Naor, Amr Waked, Egypt 

The chairman of Egypt's Actors' Union said Thursday that the group planned to investigate one of the country's brightest young movie stars for appearing in an upcoming miniseries with an Israeli actor.

The controversy began when the group discovered that Amr Waked, who starred in the Hollywood film Syriana, was in Tunisia filming a four part series on Saddam Hussein's life opposite Yigal Naor, an Israeli of Iraqi descent.

"We found out Amr Waked was participating in a movie with an Israeli artist and so when he returns from abroad he will be investigated," union chairman Ashraf Zaki said. "The Actors' Union here is against normalization with Israel."
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Media and artistic circles in Egypt remain deeply opposed to improving cultural relations with Israel even though the country is one of only two Arab nations that has made peace with Israel.

Nearly a dozen articles have appeared over the past week condemning Waked for participating in the series, titled Between Two Rivers and backed by the British Broadcasting Corporation and Home Box Office.

"Who will hold Amr Waked accountable?" read a headline Monday in Egypt's opposition daily el-Wafd.

Zaki said Waked would be questioned by a committee made up of two members of the union's board and a senior judge from the country's Administrative Court.

Waked declined to comment on the upcoming investigation, but in earlier interviews with Egyptian media, the actor said he did not know the nationalities of every person involved in the project.

The Egyptian actor also indicated he has no intention of leaving the series, in which he plays the role of Saddam's son-in-law Hussein Kamel, who defected from Iraq to Jordan but eventually returned and was executed.

Naor, who played a Palestinian character in Steven Spielberg's film Munich, stars as Saddam in the series. Many in the Egyptian press found it disturbing that an Israeli was playing the former Iraqi leader, who is still lionized by many Arab nationalists.

Though Egypt was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, professional and artistic associations have resisted opening up to Israel, citing the continued occupation of Palestinian lands.

Anti-Israeli sentiment flared in the country during the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000, much of it led by left wing academics and artists who have long been Israel's fiercest critics in Egypt.

"The [film] industry is in general very left wing and stays away from normalization as a whole," said Richard Woffenden, the former cultural editor of the local Cairo Times weekly.

Woffenden, who hailed Waked's emergence onto the Egyptian film scene in 2001 as part of a new generation of Egyptian actors, noted that he was one of the few Egyptians in recent years to surmount the language barrier and cross over to Western films.

Egyptian actor Khaled el-Nabawy appeared briefly in Ridley Scott's crusader movie Kingdom of Heaven - for which he was also criticized by the Egyptian media.

The investigation could have serious ramifications for Waked's career in Egypt, where the majority of his films are still made.

When Egyptian actress Sawsan Badr appeared in the 1980 film Death of a Princess about Saudi Arabia, it caused a furor for allegedly being anti-Arab, and it was years before she appeared again in an Egyptian film.
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  1.   Congregulation- double standard 20:19  |  Jacob 30/08/07
  2.   Egyptian Actor`s Union can team up with UK academics 20:33  |  John Stewart 30/08/07
  3.   SAD 20:45  |  FOX 30/08/07
  4.   What a Pitty, what is the big deal 20:59  |  El-Birawi 30/08/07
  5.   This proves once again, their is no peace with Egypt. 21:01  |  Ken Jurist 30/08/07
  6.   This is "peace." Article says all you need to know 21:21  |  McQueen 30/08/07
  7.   Peace, Egypt & the "Arab Street." 21:38  |  curious 30/08/07
  8.   Racist Egyptians....Give us our Billions Back. YOu broke Peace. 21:52  |  David 30/08/07
  9.   Egyptian Actors 22:15  |  stu 30/08/07
  10.   Egypt has hurt some tender feelings? They ae totally meanies!! 23:00  |  Natallie Durson 30/08/07
  11.   Egypt`s actors union need to grow up 23:04  |  Lynn 30/08/07
  12.   El-Birawi 23:08  |  Lynn 30/08/07
  13.   Durson 23:10  |  Lynn 30/08/07
  14.   Where has the "Peace" all gone 23:28  |  De 30/08/07
  15.   Egypt`s idea of peace 23:30  |  charles 30/08/07
  16.   I SUpport the Union 23:31  |  Meir 30/08/07
  17.   left wing?? Is fascist!!! Left idea is never against cultural tie 23:34  |  Alain 30/08/07
  18.   Let me explain to you Israelis what you refuse to know 23:36  |  Omar El Sharif 30/08/07
  19.   Nattalie 23:36  |  Brad 30/08/07
  20.   And you call this a "peace agreement"? Shame on you Egyptians!!! 23:37  |  Robert 30/08/07
  21.   Are you serious? 23:41  |  Mohammed 30/08/07
  22.   #10 Natalie defends a racist position by Arabs 23:58  |  Rob 30/08/07
  23.   13 Meir, Nonsense, it is a British, not Israeli film 00:01  |  Rob 31/08/07
  24.   15 Omar. "Stop the illusions and accept the truth." 00:12  |  bat yam 31/08/07
  25.   Rob _ thats not the point 00:12  |  Meir 31/08/07
  26.   #9 stop it 00:14  |  ayman 31/08/07
  27.   Natalie, peace sucks eh? #10 00:16  |  FOX 31/08/07
  28.   Stupidity and Intimidation 00:17  |  Laila 31/08/07
  29.   #18 MOHAMMED 00:20  |  ron 31/08/07
  30.   Is the actors` union left-wing, or Islamic, or nationalist...? 00:21  |  DJStahl 31/08/07
  31.   Natalie Durson 00:22  |  les 31/08/07
  32.   Re #16 And the best way to guarantee the most bloodshed by Arabs 01:12  |  DJStahl 31/08/07
  33.   Ron -Mohammed is telling you the truth 01:36  |  Omar El Sharif 31/08/07
  34.   TO NO 10 01:58  |  DANNY. 31/08/07
  35.   Egyptians were never asked if they wanted Peace with israel 02:09  |  Leyla 31/08/07
  36.   Good, and about time! 02:20  |  Hannah 31/08/07
  37.   #2, John Stewart (as though you could measure up!) 02:25  |  Hannah 31/08/07
  38.   why not 02:29  |  Elinor 31/08/07
  39.   Welcome to the Planet Peace 02:31  |  Jake 31/08/07
  40.   MOHAMMED.Its not (ya ya I know, israel is fighting "terrorism") 02:55  |  PETER SM 31/08/07
  41.   What A Bad Example 03:06  |  M.Brando 31/08/07
  42.   As if Egyptians make Films Worth Watching 03:53  |  Efox 31/08/07
  43.   25Meir, it is the point: Excuse for racism against individuals 04:03  |  Rob 31/08/07
  44.   omar sharif #33 04:52  |  ron 31/08/07
  45.   Mohammed and Hannah 05:10  |  roland 31/08/07
  46.   Mo and Omar its time to get over it. Many Egyptians in the US 05:21  |  Steve 31/08/07
  47.   Egypt`s Aparthide 07:21  |  Abu Yusuf 31/08/07
  48.   Blind hate 07:30  |  Abu Yusuf 31/08/07
  49.   Israel is the worlds most racist state 07:42  |  Natallie Durson 31/08/07
  50.   #49, Natallie 08:52  |  Hannah 31/08/07
  51.   NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS 09:03  |  indrajaya 31/08/07
  52.   NDURSON Running out of spin.Arabs are ongoing genocidal murderers 09:08  |  PETER SM 31/08/07
  53.   Hannah , first step of boycott 09:19  |  charles 31/08/07
  54.   OMAR&Mohammed thank you for claryfing your version of peace 10:02  |  PETER SM 31/08/07
  55.   THE UNION IS RIGHT 10:04  |  indrajaya 31/08/07
  56.   "HANNAH" Re boycott.Start the ball rolling,boycott Israeli media 10:10  |  PETER.SM 31/08/07
  57.   POST 33 OMAR 10:12  |  REALIST 31/08/07
  58.   Arabs do not want peace 10:16  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/08/07
  59.   #49, Durson: "the most" 10:41  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/08/07
  60.   humiliated by Israel 10:44  |  Honi 31/08/07
  61.   Peace with palestinians 11:06  |  Serge 31/08/07
  62.   Brad 11:09  |  Serge 31/08/07
  63.   Egyptian union 11:17  |  Serge 31/08/07
  64.   Truth better than fiction 11:19  |  Anthony 31/08/07
  65.   The Good Fight 11:35  |  Mark 31/08/07
  66.   Egyptians Mistreat their own people 11:54  |  Semsem 31/08/07
  67.   Israel NEVER racist 12:06  |  seer 31/08/07
  68.   Durson 12:37  |  17 31/08/07
  69.   Durson 12:39  |  17n 31/08/07
  70.   #50 Hannah 12:55  |  Greg 31/08/07
  71.   So called Hannah, why you are waisting your so called 13:04  |  17 31/08/07
  72.   Funny how the truth emerges 13:14  |  Jasmine Murphy 31/08/07
  73.   Omar el Sharif-u weren`t always such racists! 13:32  |  io 31/08/07
  74.   Egyptian Christians- Omar -haar. plse publish my other 2 comments 13:53  |  io 31/08/07
  75.   English films and drama are the best to watch 14:00  |  Tamir Palestine 31/08/07
  76.   Not enough words! 14:20  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 31/08/07
  77.   From Rushdie to Nagib! 14:46  |  FOX 31/08/07
  78.   Omar El Sharif can shut his mouth 14:52  |  Tamir Palestine 31/08/07
  79.   Natallie, you`re wrong 15:00  |  Sasha 31/08/07
  80.   So called Hannah waisting your so called life 15:27  |  17 31/08/07
  81.   Professional Jealousy 15:35  |  Smearnov 31/08/07
  82.   Arabs are their own worst enemy and such losers. 16:01  |  The Equalizer 31/08/07
  83.   Cold peace vs. hot war 16:14  |  Tosefta 31/08/07
  84.   Hannah vs. Natallie 16:41  |  Dalia 31/08/07
  85.   #55 Indrajaya 16:59  |  B 31/08/07
  86.   Crazy Hannah 17:19  |  Hannah 31/08/07
  87.   Tosefta`s limited thinking #76 17:37  |  FOX 31/08/07
  88.   Tamir Palestine`s projecting #74 17:43  |  FOX 31/08/07
  89.   Intellectuals "resistance operations" 17:52  |  Danite 31/08/07
  90.   Advice to israel 17:53  |  Danite 31/08/07
  91.   Hannah Motek and racist time wasters 17:58  |  notblackorwhite 31/08/07
  92.   Danite #81 Roaring Medocrity 18:11  |  FOX 31/08/07
  93.   Toseftas real issue 18:16  |  Danite 31/08/07
  94.   FOX isnt it Typical 18:19  |  Danite 31/08/07
  95.   Fox re Tamir 18:23  |  notblackorwhite/io 31/08/07
  96.   #53, Charles 18:46  |  Hannah 31/08/07
  97.   #86 Apologist Danite the comprehension-challenged, VI 19:32  |  Tosefta 31/08/07
  98.   Rabid Fox on the loose #80 19:35  |  Tosefta 31/08/07
  99.   PEACE with Egypt 19:48  |  fred 31/08/07
  100.   FOX wha? 19:58  |  Tamir Palestine 31/08/07
  101.   notblackorwhite/io...thank you, I appreciate it 20:01  |  Tamir Palestine 31/08/07
  102.   Why are Jews so concerned about making 20:35  |  tony 31/08/07
  103.   Egypt is bubbling beneath the surface 21:17  |  Moises 31/08/07
  104.   Natalie Durson - who are you 21:22  |  Moises 31/08/07
  105.   Tosefta do you dispute the facts?? 21:28  |  Danite 31/08/07
  106.   91: Tosefta, how do you deal with yourself? 21:44  |  David Teich 31/08/07
  107.   THANK YOU OMAR FOR THE TRUTH 21:52  |  ISSY HASS 31/08/07
  108.   #93, 105 Apologist Danite the comprehension-challenged, VII 22:15  |  Tosefta 31/08/07
  109.   Biting the Coward Tossi-fetta 23:39  |  FOX 31/08/07
  110.   Tammy Balestine 23:43  |  FOX 31/08/07
  111.   Hannah 23:46  |  Connie 31/08/07
  112.   Danite, on dealing with the coward #105 23:52  |  FOX 31/08/07
  113.   #93, 105 Apologist Danite the comprehension-challenged, VII 00:09  |  Tosefta 01/09/07
  114.   #18 Don`t Build Egypt`s Future On Something That Will End 00:34  |  James 01/09/07
  115.   Where are all the posts? 01:08  |  Press Ass 01/09/07
  116.   Shows Egypt`s Intolerance 05:15  |  Ryan 01/09/07
  117.   Tosefta 06:00  |  Simone 01/09/07
  118.   Re Tosefta 06:02  |  Ben Gurion 01/09/07
  119.   hannah and natallie 06:29  |  nmf 01/09/07
  120.   # 55, FAKE INDRAJAYA 07:47  |  indrajaya 01/09/07
  121.   #119, nmf 09:26  |  Hannah 01/09/07
  122.   Tamir Palestine 12:36  |  notblackorwhite 01/09/07
  123.   How about this, Simone? (#117) 15:30  |  Tosefta 01/09/07
  124.   why all the hubbub? 15:57  |  itsik 01/09/07
  125.   Tosefta really? 17:47  |  Danite 01/09/07
  126.   notblackorwhite #122...you took the words right out of my mouth! 17:47  |  Jacques 01/09/07
  127.   Simone and Toseftas tactics 18:05  |  Danite 01/09/07
  128.   # 127 Danite Re: Tosefta 22:17  |  17 01/09/07
  129.   Nattalie Durson 22:59  |  Bill 01/09/07
  130.   83 Tosefta 23:03  |  Bill 01/09/07
  131.   #113 Tosefta 23:15  |  Bill 01/09/07
  132.   #49 Arab States Not Racist? 02:28  |  Massouda El Eini 02/09/07
  133.   Being paranoid vs. being dumb-headed (LO TOV-17) 02:47  |  Tosefta 02/09/07
  134.   Then stop oppressing the Palestinians 02:55  |  Amin Boutros 02/09/07
  135.   Egyptian hate hurts ONLY the Egyptians 04:58  |  US CITIZEN 02/09/07
  136.   # 133 T(w)osefta mi Tveria 05:38  |  17 02/09/07
  137.   Tosefta shows his fear 06:46  |  Danite 02/09/07
  138.   AMIN BOUTROS.Lots of Coptic Christians openly disagree 06:51  |  PETER SM 02/09/07
  139.   Danite 07:47  |  Smadar 02/09/07
  140.   re #136 17 regarding Tiveria 09:03  |  FOX 02/09/07
  141.   # 140 FOX 13:58  |  17 02/09/07
  142.   Silly questions, better answers (Bill #131) 19:00  |  Tosefta 02/09/07
  143.   Woof Woof, Dumbite #137 19:02  |  Tony the Poodle 02/09/07
  144.   egyptian actors union to probe movie star working with israeli 12:27  |  ron 01/11/07
  145.   The reaction of the Egyptian actors`s Union 17:31  |  Deena 05/01/08
  146.   Double standars? 17:37  |  Deena 05/01/08
  147.   #145 deena and arab lands ? they are in saudi arabia ! 11:53  |  v hardman 15/03/08
  148.   its all a lie 13:41  |  danny 15/03/08
  149.   amin boutros 14:06  |  danny 15/03/08
  150.   Egypt finally recognized Pride Parade in Cairo. Amazing! 02:10  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/03/08
  151.   Natalie Durson, as a celebrity actor in NY I boycott Israel too 02:12  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/03/08
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