WORLD> Middle East
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WORLD> Middle East
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Rare TV satire mocks Palestinian politicians
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-09-10 17:26 Families gather after the Iftar, the evening meal that ends the dawn-to-dusk fast of Ramadan, to watch "Watan al Watar," or "Homeland on a Thread" -- a title that suggests the Palestinians are barely hanging on. On a recent evening in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Zaal Abu Ruqti shushed his loudly laughing adult children, watching the show together over a table of coffee, sweets and cigarettes. That night the show featured a Muslim extremist in Gaza who didn't recognize one of his many wives because she was draped in a black cloak and face veil, a uniform of hardline Muslim women. "I think the actors are going to get in trouble," said Abu Ruqti's son Firas, 30, echoing the views of other Palestinians. In the past, the Palestinian Authority has shown little tolerance for criticism, and the Abbas government's bear hug of the comedy show has been surprising. In Palestine TV's 15 years of operations, politicians routinely rejected requests of station officials to broadcast political satire, said the show's production director, Jaber Khedeir. Abed Rabbo, the new TV chief, said putting the show on the air signals a new approach. "The program shows the development in speech and press freedom in the Palestinian Authority," he said. Imad Farrajine, 31, one of the show's writers, said he is given a free hand, noting that Tuesday's episode tackled detentions of political rivals, both by Abbas' forces and Hamas. "We have no red lines. We have a political decision to criticize whatever we want," he said. Gaza analyst Talal Okal said he believes the internationally backed Abbas government's step toward openness may be a move to show residents that it supports free speech. Farrajine, a stand-up comedian whose material formed the show's script, now hopes to take his material to a bigger audience on an Arab satellite channel. "I want to make people laugh at their tragedies and try change their situation," he said.
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