ISRAEL: "Arab Labour" comedy draws criticism

Record ID: 396040

  • Title: ISRAEL: "Arab Labour" comedy draws criticism
  • Date: 13th September 2010
  • Summary: HAIFA, ISRAEL (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CREATOR OF ARAB LABOUR, SAYED KASHUA, SAYING: "The Arab viewer may initially feel that he is threatened from the series, because Israeli television in general is very right-wing in political matters. But I hope that we are broadcasting something new and different." VARIOUS OF ARAB ISRAELI WRITERS AND JOURNALISTS AT P
  • Embargoed: 28th September 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA49RJCBH8H1NY8D535Q7I7V671
  • Story Text: The sitcom "Arab Labour" is the first prime-time television series featuring Arab protagonists. It underscores the discomfort between Israeli Jews and Arabs.
    The creator of the comedy show, Sayed Kashua, said he wanted to show the identity crisis facing Arab Israelis in his series.
    "The Arab viewer may initially feel that he is threatened from the series, because Israeli television in general is very right-wing in political matters. But I hope that we are broadcasting something new and different," Kashua said.
    Drama about discrimination against Arabs would have bored audiences, Kashua said, but humour delivers the message more effectively.
    On Saturday night, more than half a million Israelis watched Amjad Eliyan, the lead character of the programme, navigate the life of an Arab in a society dominated by Israeli Jews.
    Amjad is a journalist who writes for an Israeli newspaper about Palestinian affairs. He tries desperately to fit into Jewish society.
    Some Arab Israeli newspapers have accused the programme of reinforcing negative stereotypes of Arabs on Israeli television.
    But some of the Arab Israelis who constitute about 20 percent of the Israeli population say they are glad the series presents Palestinian characters speaking Arabic during prime-time television.
    "After 60 years of what I describe as the marginalisation of Arabs in Israeli channels, the détente or what is described as the detente is beginning in entertainment programmes, but if they do not understand the reality, they cannot make entertainment," Firas Al-Khatib said.
    Makboula Naser, a local journalist, said the series has managed to break cultural barriers and attract Arab viewers to Israeli TV, but said many flaws remained with Israeli programming.
    "I think the TV series is good. Sayed Kashua is a very talented man, he includes good content to the programme but my problem is not only with this TV series but with the Hebrew media in general and the way they depict Arabs. This programme will not give a certificate of innocence to the Israeli media regarding Arabs because if there are positives, what is left is very negative," Naser said.
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