Another Middle East Tragic Irony

The other day, I observed something so tragic and ironic in the local news that it inspired me to share it with you. It takes a lot for a Middle East tragic irony to rise to that level, given how drenched this land is in both of those attributes. I read an article by UK comedian Mark Thomas about a walk he took along the entire Israeli security wall in the West Bank. It seems that he undertook the walk to expose the folly of the wall in particular, and the Israeli security state in general. The article is well written and is an excellent example of how to gently level criticism. Sadly, events that have taken place since Thomas’ walk have undermined the premise of his project, and suggest that the wall might not be so silly after all.

The article is at its funniest when it focuses on what Thomas describes as his “natural talent for ineptitude.” He describes his run-ins with Israeli soldiers, some of which were pleasant, and some of which were not. He successfully negotiates with an Israeli soldier how close he can walk to the wall. He falls off a mountain, gets covered with mud, stumbles into an Israeli settler demonstration, and gets tear gassed.

His project appears only to become feasible when he ambles into the Jenin refugee camp, the site of an historic confrontation between the IDF and Palestinian militants. Here he discovers a theatre run by Juliano Mer-Khamis, a famous Israeli actor. Born to a Jewish mother and an Israeli Arab father, Juliano is a local icon and Palestinian activist. His Freedom Theatre not only puts on plays, such as Animal Farm, but also runs a theatre school which encourages local youth to use art to express their frustration with their bleak situation. Thomas quotes an 18 year old student at the school as telling him "You know, before I came here, one of my life options was to be a suicide bomber. To lay down your life for your community is an honour, right? But now I know art is my weapon."

When Thomas tells Juliano about his project, Juliano immediately gets behind it. Suddenly, things don’t seem so overwhelming anymore for Thomas. He stays in a guest apartment at the theatre. Every morning he has tea with the students before setting out on his walk. Every evening he returns to an attentive and supportive Juliano.

With Juliano’s help, Thomas goes on to complete his project. He returns to England and publishes a book about his experiences. The same, however, cannot be said for Juliano. If you follow the news from this part of the world you probably already know that a few weeks ago Juliano was shot to death outside the Freedom Theatre.

The shooting did not come as a complete surprise to locals. Juliano’s plays were often critical of the Palestinian Authority. The Freedom Theatre had been burned down several times and Juliano had been the recipient of numerous death threats. According to an article in the Guardian, a leaflet circulated in Jenin after the murder asserted that Juliano had been killed because of his violations of local Islamic sensibilities.

Juliano’s murder laid bare the premises of Thomas’ walk. These are dangerous times in this part of the world. Ancient conflicts are on the loose as well as forces eager to resolve them through horrific violence. Even a simple producer of plays and educator of artists has to fear for his life. Under these circumstances, the wall doesn’t seem so silly. The great irony is that had Juliano conducted his work on the other side of that wall, he’d still be alive today. The great tragedy is that his work is so badly needed on the side where he lived. It will be a long time before someone of his stature takes up such work on that side again.