![Israeli forces ransacked The Freedom Theater in the West Bank, spray painting the Star of David on the wall and kidnapping Ahmed Tobasi, Mostafa Sheta, and Jamal Abu Jaas Mostafa Sheta remains missing. Ahmed Tobasi spoke to Democracy Now about his ordeal and the theater. “The Freedom Theater Is it cultural, artistic place, where we have children, young people come here to find a place where they can express themselves where they can imagine there is a better life, a better place in this world, where they can decide their future in different ways, to choose to be different from the reality we're living in. And still the Israelis come, and they're telling us, “No you cannot dream. You cannot think that you can be something different from the reality around you. You are under occupation, and that's your destiny as a Palestinian, to grow up, to be born, to grow up and die under brutal crazy violent occupation. So I am asking all the artists in this world— and, you know, as Juliano Mer-Khamis and Zakaria Zubeidi, the main founders of The Freedom Theater, was believing the Third Intifada [uprising], Which we're doing now, is going to be a cultural artistic intifada. we're also asking the friends all around the world, you have to unite, and we have to fight not just for Palestinians. we have to fight this planet, for the humanity, for each community and each country still under colonization or under occupation. Image description: A drawing of Ahmed Tobasi raising his hand.](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!pQET!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F26f90c5b-68a8-4a05-9f46-f82252fbbcb7_2048x2048.jpeg "Israeli forces ransacked The Freedom Theater in the West Bank, spray painting the Star of David on the wall and kidnapping Ahmed Tobasi, Mostafa Sheta, and Jamal Abu Jaas Mostafa Sheta remains missing. Ahmed Tobasi spoke to Democracy Now about his ordeal and the theater. “The Freedom Theater Is it cultural, artistic place, where we have children, young people come here to find a place where they can express themselves where they can imagine there is a better life, a better place in this world, where they can decide their future in different ways, to choose to be different from the reality we're living in. And still the Israelis come, and they're telling us, “No you cannot dream. You cannot think that you can be something different from the reality around you. You are under occupation, and that's your destiny as a Palestinian, to grow up, to be born, to grow up and die under brutal crazy violent occupation. So I am asking all the artists in this world— and, you know, as Juliano Mer-Khamis and Zakaria Zubeidi, the main founders of The Freedom Theater, was believing the Third Intifada [uprising], Which we're doing now, is going to be a cultural artistic intifada. we're also asking the friends all around the world, you have to unite, and we have to fight not just for Palestinians. we have to fight this planet, for the humanity, for each community and each country still under colonization or under occupation. Image description: A drawing of Ahmed Tobasi raising his hand.")
Links:
The Freedom Theater website:
https://thefreedomtheatre.org/
Updates on the Freedom Theater attack: https://www.therevolutionspromise.com/recent-attacks
‘No safe place’: Jenin’s Freedom Theatre raided, daubed with Star of David https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/20/no-safe-place-jenins-freedom-theatre-raided-daubed-with-star-of-david
Ahmed Tobasi Democracy Now! Interview https://www.democracynow.org/2023/12/15/israel_raids_freedom_theatre_in_jenin
Guante’s resource for artists who want to speak out on Palestine but aren’t sure how: https://racketmn.com/for-artists-and-musicians-who-want-to-speak-out-about-palestine-but-arent-sure-how
A moving open letter from Jewish students at Brown: https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2023/11/an-open-letter-from-jewish-students
Writers Against the War on Gaza
Info on the BDS cultural boycott: https://www.therevolutionspromise.com/bds-cultural-boycott
And more links from
Dissenters against the War Machine
Apply pressure for a ceasefire now:
Take action with Jewish Voice for Peace
I do not have your gift of words but I have your love for people and our world. I am creative but with my hands (fiber, baking, music) - I don’t know how to help. Sending love and prayers (though I am), isn’t enough.