Prime Minister criticizes theater figures' West Bank boycott
Fifty-three Israeli theater professionals, including performers, playwrights and directors, signed petition stating they would not appear in performances in Ariel.
By Barak RavidPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized on Sunday the theater figures' boycott of a new theater in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, saying that the government doesn’t need to fund a group promoting a boycott of Israel from within.
Fifty-three Israeli theater professionals, including performers, playwrights and directors, signed a petition stating they would not appear in performances in Ariel.
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Cultural center in the West Bank settlement of Ariel |
| Photo by: David Bachar |
In the petition, the performers said they would not perform in any other West Bank settlement and called on Israeli theater managers to limit their activity to within the Green Line.
"Israel is being attacked by an international de-legitimization campaign," Netanyahu said, adding that Israel didn’t need to face the same threat from within.
Netanyahu's criticism followed comments by Culture and Sport Minister Limor Livnat who said that the actors' protest was causing a rift in Israeli society. She called upon the theater managements to address the problem immediately.
"Culture is a bridge in society, and political disputes should be left outside cultural life and art," she said. "I call for the scheduled performances to be carried out as scheduled in Ariel and all over the country, as each citizen has the right to consume culture anywhere he chooses."
The Habima, Cameri, Beit Lessin and Be'er Sheva theaters issued a collective response Saturday, stating: "The management of the repertory theaters will perform anywhere there are Israeli citizens who are lovers of Israeli theater, including the new culture center in Ariel. We will respect the political opinions of our actors. However, we will bring the best of Israeli theater to Ariel."
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The actors need only say they have a cold when they are due to perform. Or are you going to resort to pointing a gun at them from the sidelines.
Jews silencing Jews. It's disgusting.
Please publish the names of those Israeli performs who refuse to perform in Ariel. We, the public, need to know who these people are.
The actors have a right to voice their opinion and not be ridiculed by anyone, if they do not want to perform in Ariel. It sounds like you are concerned with retribution. Why is this? If you feel your opinion is different and correct then try to educate them to that end.
Of course they have a right to express their OPINIONS. They do not have a right to collect a salary from government when declining to appear somewhere on political grounds.
The boycotting actors are among the very few decent Jews remaining in Israel today.
Settlers receive heavy subsidies from the govt. Many of us don't agree with what they're doing, and the world deems their activities illegal. Can't have it both ways, dude. BTW, Ariel is hardly govt. grounds.