Acting Student at Jenin’s Freedom Theatre Taken by Israeli Army

Members of Jenin's Freedom Theatre speaking at the Culture is Resistance! Week of the Alternative Information Center (AIC) in July. Photo: Nikki Hodsgon, AIC

At approximately 15:00 on Saturday 6 August, one of the third-year graduating students at Jenin’s Freedom Theatre  was taken by the Israeli army at the Shave Shomeron checkpoint, located between the Palestinian cities Jenin and Nablus.

20 year old student Rami Awni Hwayel, was travelling from Ramallah to Jenin together with his fellow students.

Batool Taleb, one of the female acting students who was in the car with Rami, describes what happened:

“When they got to our car, they took all our IDs and when they saw Rami’s ID they told him to get out of the car. Once he was out they immediately handcuffed and blindfolded him and put him in the army jeep.”

The students had been rehearsing for their final graduation project directed by the Israeli producer Udi Aloni in Ramallah.

“This is devastating, Rami is playing the main role in ‘Waiting for Godot’ and doing an amazing job, he’s so dedicated to the work. He just left rehearsals today for the weekend to see his family for Ramadan. It’s terrible. We want our Bozo back!”, says Udi Aloni.

Rami is the third member of The Freedom Theatre who has been taken by the Israeli army recently. On the 27 July at 3:00 a.m.,Head Technician Adnan Naghnaghiye and Chairperson Bilal Saadi were captured by a large group of Israeli soldiers.

The consequences of these actions only result in more damage to The Freedom Theatre. The theatre once again calls on its friends and supporters around the world to act in order to stop this outrageous harassment by the Israeli army against a cultural establishment.