Cultural Centre Opens in Settlement, Israeli Theaters to Perform

Friday, 27 August 2010 21:35 Tania Kepler for the Alternative Information Center (AIC)
Print PDF

Israel's leading theater companies have agreed to perform in the new cultural center in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, according to an article in Israeli news daily Haaretz, but two actors from Habima, the national theatre, have already refused to perform.

ariel_photo_from_above


 

The new cultural center is set to open on 8 November 2010. The project, which has taken years to complete due to repeated funding shortages, will cost a total of NIS 40 million and will seat 540.


Theatres from across the country will be crossing the Green Line to perform at the center. The season open with Be'er Sheva Theater's "Piaf" on November 8, followed by the Cameri Theater, Habima and the Khan Theater, amongst others.


The Ariel settlement, founded in 1978, is the second largest settlement in the West Bank and has grown to a population of more than 17,000.In addition to the new cultural center, Ariel is home to the Ariel University Center of Samaria and a large industrial zone.


The Separation Wwall built around the settlement bloc stretches for 114 km and grabs within it 120,000 dunum of lands. 18% of the grabbed land is a Jewish built up area, 39% is an agricultural area, 11% is forested area, 11% shrubbed areas and 21% open space, according to a report from the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ).


Palestinian actor Yousef Sweid, currently appearing in "A Railway to Damascus" at Habima Theatre, told an Israeli Channel 1 television talk show that "I would be glad to perform in settlements in several shows that have messages I'd like to deliver in many communities. But settlers and settlements are not something that entertains me, and I don't want to entertain them," reported Haaretz.


A Habima spokeswoman told the newspaper: "Habima is a national theater, and its repertoire is supposed to suit the entire population."


However, Israeli actor Rami Heuberger also has qualms with the set performances, saying, "if I am asked, I believe I would have a problem with performing there. As a stage actor it is a very, very problematic issue, and I think that so long as settlements are a controversial issue that will be discussed in any negotiations [with the Palestinians], I should not be there."


So while some international activists refuse to boycott Israeli institutions based within Israel, it should be remembered that these institutions themselves do not stop their work at the Green Line.