The conductor Daniel Barenboim’s efforts to lead the Berlin Staatskapelle at a concert in Tehran drew criticism from the Israeli culture minister, who called the performance “anti-Israel”, and a rebuff from Iranian officials, who said that they would block the concert because of Mr. Barenboim’s Israeli citizenship. A spokesman for …
Read More »Israel: Artists up in arms over remarks by Culture Minister
Israel’s new Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev sparked a furore when she threatened to defund a children theatre managed by an Arab Israeli if he refused to perform in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli artists and leading cultural figures gathered Sunday 14 June 2015 to try and consolidate an …
Read More »Israel: Palestinian artist prevented from travelling to New York for exhibition
The Palestinian artist Khaled Jarrar, who is known for his work about the West Bank barrier, has been prevented from travelling to New York for an opening of his exhibition, reported www.theartnewspaper.com Khaled Jarrar was stopped by the Israeli authorities at the crossing into Jordan, according to the website +972. …
Read More »Israel: Supreme Court book ban a harsh blow to artistic freedom of expression
In a ruling handed down in April 2014, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a writer’s appeal of a district court decision, which included a ban against the publication and distribution of his novel. In effect, the court ordered that the book be shelved, after it had already been published, printed …
Read More »Israel: Gaza theatres battle censorship and conservatism
A lack of female performers, the siege and close monitoring by the Hamas government has resulted in a dwindling Gaza theatre industry, reported Al Monitor. Hanouna said that the theater’s decline began about eight years ago, “when artists started self-censoring their work and thinking of the ruling authorities and their …
Read More »Israel: Gaza cartoonist receives death threats
Gaza artist Majida Shaheen has been threatened for drawing a cartoon that ‘demonized’ Islamic Jihad. When Majida Shaheen on 22 January 2013 drew and published a cartoon on her Facebook page depicting Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh trying to tame an angry dog with the name “Al-Quds Brigades” — the …
Read More »Israel: Palestinean drummer arrested and dumped in wasteland
Drummer Samer Jaradat was arrested by Israeli police at a checkpoint on the road between Nazareth and Jericho. Police claimed that his papers weren’t in order. “From all what we know, there was nothing wrong with his papers,” told Steinar Larsen, the director of Trondheim Soloists whom Samer Jaradat was …
Read More »Swedish city offers Gaza rapper safe city residency
Video interview with rapper Khaled Harara from Palestine who the Swedish city of Gothenburg has announced will be offered a ‘safe city’ residency for two years. In April 2013, the 26-year-old rapper Khaled Harara came to the Freemuse secretariat in Copenhagen. Having toured Denmark, he was afraid of returning to …
Read More »Israel: Singer Oday Khatib set free
Oday Khatib, an acclaimed Palestinian singer from the Ramallah-based Al Kamandjati music school, has been released after three months in prison for allegedly throwing stones at Israeli soldiers. This was reported by Sandy Tolan and Anan Abu-Shanab of Alkamandjati Association on 6 June 2013. Oday Khatib is a singer who …
Read More »Lebanon: Award-winning film banned for being shot in Israel
Lebanese authorities have banned the award-winning film ‘The Attack’ from cinemas in the country because it was partly shot in Tel Aviv using Israeli actors. “I regret to inform you that the Interior Minister of Lebanon, Minister (Marwan) Charbel, has decided to punish us and the film by banning it… …
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