From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Ben Gvir claims to cancel Arab Israeli actor’s lecture to police; star’s associates say it was postponed for logistical reasons
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Far-right National Security Minister Ben Gvir claims he has barred an Arab Israeli actor from giving a lecture to Israel Police, saying “whoever harms, incites and insults Israeli soldiers, and acts against the country should not be a lecturer.”
Ben Gvir has said that “Fauda” actor Hisham Suliman made remarks in the past that amount to backing attacks on IDF soldiers.
But associates of Hisham Suliman tell Channel 12 that the lecture, which he has given on a regular basis for many years, was postponed due to logistical reasons.
“While the country is in flames, it’s time for Ben Gvir to deal with what is really important,” they say.
In an interview with the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in 2015, Suliman was asked what he thinks about the kind of Palestinian terrorist that he depicts in “Fauda” and responded that Palestinians in the West Bank “have the right to fight against the occupation.”
“I don’t accept their way and don’t see it as heroism, but they have the right to fight,” he said at the time. “I seek peace and do not justify harming civilians. But a soldier who is in the West Bank and someone attacks him — I don’t think it’s terrorism.
“If he is in the West Bank and fights the Palestinians and abuses them, he implements the occupation. He shouldn’t be there.”
Last year, Ben Gvir cited the remarks as the reason for banning Suliman from an anti-drug event.
The Times of Israel Community.