Ben-Gvir orders Israeli forces to raid Palestinian children's play in East Jerusalem

Israeli forces stormed a theatre in occupied East Jerusalem to prevent a children’s play from taking place following orders from far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Police forces arrived on Sunday night at the Palestinian National Theatre, forcibly removing spectators gathered for the play and causing children to cry as they were ordered home.

Seventy children aged between five and eighteen were set to take part in a performance organised by the Jerusalem Youth Heritage Forum named 'Dreams Under the Olive Tree', which includes traditional Palestinian folk dances and songs.

"What happened at the theatre is not an isolated incident, but rather another episode in a systematic Israeli policy targeting every aspect of life and culture in the city," Nabil Abdullah, a member of the Palestinian NGO Network, told The New Arab’s Arabic sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

National Security Minister Ben-Gvir claimed that the scheduled performance was "supported by the Palestinian Authority and conducted outside the framework of the law" in justification of the raid order.

Abdullah criticised the police's treatment of the children's play as if it were a security threat, which comes as part of a wider crackdown on Jerusalemite cultural institutions, even those licensed by Israel, in order to "weaken any collective action that strengthens national identity or provides an outlet for children and families".

The activist said the theatre performance was announced publicly as a heritage event and organised by the Jerusalem Youth Heritage Forum, which has been operating for years with Israeli-licensed permits.

He also said it was funded by the likes of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Union, contrary to Ben-Gvir’s claims about Palestinian Authority financing.        

The raid on the children’s play in occupied East Jerusalem comes amid Israel’s decades-long censorship of Palestinian expression, identity, and culture.

Israeli forces frequently raid homes, institutions, and religious sites in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, intimidating and arresting Palestinians, all while serving to expand Israeli presence and domination in these territories.

Israel’s violence in the Palestinian territories has increased dramatically in parallel with the war in Gaza launched in October 2023, detaining thousands and killing at least 1,080 Palestinians.

Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since 1967, before annexing it in 1980, although this was rejected by most of the world.