Culture minister objects to Acre Festival play on Palestinians

Culture Minister Miri Regev says she will examine one of the shows set to be performed at the upcoming annual Acre Festival for incitement against the State of Israel.

The play, titled “Palestine Year Zero,” is due to be performed at the festival, which runs during the Sukkot holiday, Walla says. Regev and Acre Mayor Shimon Lankri have agreed to reevaluate whether the play “has content that incites those who would harm the country and its symbols.”

Regev says: “As I previously stated, there is a clear distinction between freedom of expression and freedom of financing. No country, including the State of Israel, would fund shows that undermine its existence.”

According to the Acre Festival’s program, the play is a “documentary comedy” that tells the story of a Palestinian building appraiser who decides to document damage across East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. In each place, the nature and reason for the damage is different, and his final report paints a picture of the Palestinian experience past and present.