Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis shot dead in Jenin
Mer-Khamis, 52, was shot five times by masked militants; he had established his name as actor, director and political activist both in Israel and abroad.
By Jack Khoury, Avi Issacharoff, Anshel Pfeffer and Haaretz ServiceIsraeli actor and political activist Juliano Mer-Khamis, 52, was shot dead on Monday outside a theater which he founded in a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Jenin.
Jenin police chief Mohammed Tayyim said Mer-Khamis was shot five times by masked Palestinian militants, but that Israeli security forces were still investigating the circumstances of his murder. A Palestinian ambulance took his body to a nearby checkpoint to be transferred into Israel.
Mer-Khamis' mother, Arna Mer, was an Israeli Jewish activist for Palestinian rights. His father, Saliba Khamis, was a Christian Palestinian. Mer-Khamis was born and raised in Nazareth.
Mer-Khamis was well-known as an actor for his film and theater roles, both in Israel and abroad, and had made a name for himself as a director and a political activist, as well.
Based in Israel, Mer-Khamis was affiliated with the local theater in Jenin, established by his mother in the 1980s. In 2006, Mer-Khamis opened the Freedom Theater in Jenin, along with Zakariya Zubeidi, the former military leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades in that West Bank city.
Zubeidi was appointed co-theater director in an attempt to subdue the ongoing threats voiced against both the institution and Mer-Khamis. The theater itself was torched twice in the past, and the threats persisted despite Zubeidei's appointment.
Some of the criticism focused on the fact that the theater offered co-ed activities, despite prohibition in the Islamic moral code.
Objectors were also outraged when Mer-Khamis staged the play "Animal Farm", in which the young actors played the part of a pig, which Islam considers an impure animal.
Mer Khamis said he had planned to stage The Lieutenant of Inishmore, a satire of armed resistance, but shelved the idea after someone smashed the window of his car.
Jenin governor Qadura Moussa called Mer Khamis a great supporter of the Palestinian people. He said Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told him to bring those responsible for his death to justice.
Michael Handesaltz, senior editor and theater critic for Haaretz, described Mer-Khamis as a "great actor, an extraordinary human being whose life-story is part of the tragic reality of this country", who in his death became "another tragic victim of life in the Middle East".
Director Amos Gitai, who directed Mer-Khamis in the 2000 film "Kippur," said in response that he was "shocked" by the murder. "There are people like Juliano, who are radical people, try with their own bodies to serve as a bridge over the gorges of hate. And in Juliano's case its real, he is a larger than life," Gitai said.
"We have been served so many warning signs and calling signs, that I don’t know what will become of us," he added.
Director Avi Nesher, who directed Mer-Khamis in "Rage and Glory" in 1985 said that he felt like a member of his family had died. "He was one of the most talented people I ever worked with," Nesher said, adding that "it is hard to imagine who would want to kill him and why, and it is very disturbing, in the most profound way."
"I don’t understand the murder," he added. "he was a man who was totally there to deal with the things he believed in and I find it hard to understand the twisted rational of the people who did this."
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Israeli Arab actor Juliano Mer-Khamis was shot dead in Jenin on April 4, 2011 |
| Photo by: Daniel Tchetchik |
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RIP Juliano...
a man who bridged both cultures, was successful, strove to share his gifts his gunned down by extremists, thus hurting everyone and the future of us all. a sad day.
What do they mean by these kinds of terrors!killing a friend and a mediator is even against the unwritten laws of terror
This absolutely stinks of a false flag operation.
There were many Palestinians who objected to his theatre and he had been receiving threats for months.
May his name be a blessing.
If he was fighting for Palestinian rights, does not make sense for Palestinians to want him dead. Anyone could have been behind this, and if these cold blooded murders were masked how do they know these were Palestinians?
What are the odds?
Such a waste of a wonderful man and such a loss for the young people who he mentors.
This is sad news! I was afforded the wonderful opportunity of meeting Juliano a few years ago and was thoroughly impressed by his genuine passion and care for the children of refugee camps. I am shocked and saddened by this senseless act on a true man of peace.
serving the idf made him more jewish israeli.
Nothing is achieved by killing someone who dedicated his life for peaceful co-existance. I hope the incident in invistigated and killers are brought to justice. I hope Israel press to find the killer eventhough Kamis father is not jewish
This is another cowardly crime by Palestinian militants.
God rest his soul. What a senseless, needless act of violence. And 99% of all Palestinians will be mortified to hear the news, and will mourn his tragic death very deeply. What a setback for both peoples - words cannot describe it.
blotted out by the fundamentalist cave men of Palestine. Like fundamentalist thugs everywhere they despise the mind and creativity because they cannot control it according to their primitive cave view of religion. They are their own worst enemy. Hopefully, Palestinian authorities will find the cave men and take them out of human society. Both Muslim and Jewish fundamentalist cavemen will be rejoicing over his death.
why assume ANYTHING about who is responsible at this point? for decades there have been assasinations done by men who like to dress up and pretend an "identity" ..... my first thought was --they did it once again to send a message to potential cooperative binationals espec like Juliano.
I heard Juliano speak at a small gathering at a friend's house in Westchester about two years ago. Juliano told his life story: Jewish mother (and Haganah fighter), Arab father, of his service in the IDF (Paratroops), and his vision for peace. He described the work he did among the Arab kids in Jenin in the period after the IDF's attack on that town. This was a type of Israeli they had never seen before, nor had I. He was handsome, charismatic, charming, articulate and seemed an embodiment of what in means to be a "light unto nations."
Palestine: is used between 450BC and 1948AD to describe a geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands. And the State of Palestine is in the hearts and minds of millions of people all around the world, and soon will be side by side with Israel you like it or not! RIP brother....
And a SAD DAY FOR PEACE LOVERS.....
I can only but express my deep sorrow for the passing of this huge Israeli citizen. Together with his mother they are the best Palestine-Israel could offer.
trying to say that this murder was committed by muslim extremists is purposely misleading... the killers are still unknown!
I am horrified at this terrible act of violence.
horrible. i hope his death won't be in vain. and D my friend, we are what we choose to be.
A terrible, terrible loss. What is the message for activists for Palestinians rights who keep being murdered by the same?
sadly the message is that a decent soul cannot get through to people who thrive on hatred towards Israel and Jews. The reality of this sad story is you cannot reach people who are totally mired in the business of hatred...
He was so proud of this Theatre in Jenin, Dam the Murderer. He was a Star in Zohar, Also Movie about Lehi. He has small Children.
I am deeply saddened by this tragic news.
I was stunned to hear of the murder of Juliano Mer by extremists in Jenin. I did not agree with his politics but admired his acting abilities tremendously and enjoyed his performances in the Israeli theatres very much. I know that he forfeited the chance to be a major star in Israel in order to help the Palestinian people. He was a complicated man, both Jew and Arab, who served in the Israeli army in a combat unit. He was sincere in his beliefs and it is a tragedy that the murderers came from the same group of people that he wished to help. Condolences to the family and may he RIP.
Why is the police chief so quick to assume that this murder was the work of Palestinian criminals? It could have been a foreign worker who shot him!
Get over it already, Palestinians murdered this man, a man who was their ally and a great supporter. Deal with it.
This is so incredibly tragic. Juliano, his mother, and his family stood for the best of what Palestinian - Israeli society could be. This is a great loss for us all.
My condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Mer-Khamis. Just one question though; if his mother is Jewish, didn't that fact make him Israeli-Jewish rather than Israeli-Arab?
Halakhically he would be considered Jewish. With a Palestinian dad, I suppose that makes him a Palestinian Jew. (They do exist.) More importantly, he was a person. There comes a point where these ethnic labels mean very little, and I think death is that point.
He was Jewish and served in the IDF in a combat unit. However in time Mer obviously identified more with his other identity as an Arab and a few years ago decided to dedicate his life to help the Palestinian cause by creating a theatre in Jenin.. He was a wonderful actor and his passing is very sad. RIP
all men or wemen who are born to a jewish mother, are also jewish.
Remember that 2000 or 3000yrs ago there were far fewer people and many Jews who stayed in the Holy Land were forced to become Muslims over time. Also many of the newer Jewish settlers have no Jewish blood but converted due to being married to a Jew and Israel immigration laws.
it is the persons choice- he probably felt more arab then jewish. who cares now anyway? poor man is dead. sincere condolence
He's father was a christian palestinian. while he served as a paratrooper in the idf, he lately identified himself ethnically as an israeli-arab
his father was christian palestinian.
condoleances to his relatives
Every man IS onto himself, identifications be damned.
people mad? a human being was murdered in cold blood and you are arguing if he was jewish or an arab!! this is so sad.
What sort of people are they?Such a waste