Date : 19/11/2001
ISRAEL PROTESTS TO UN OVER ABU DHABI TV SHOW
AMMAN, NOV 18 (KUNA) -- ISRAEL HAS DECIDED TO PROTEST TO THE U.N. AND
UNESCO THE CONTENT OF AN ABU DHABI TV SHOW SPOOFING ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER
ARIEL SHARON SAYING IT IS ANTI-SEMITIC, RADIO ISRAEL SAID MONDAY.
FOREIGN MINISTER SHIMON PERES WILL HAND THE PROTEST TO THE U.N. AND UNESCO,
THE RADIO SAID, ADDING THAT THE TV SHOW DEPICTED SHARON AS " BLOODTHIRSTY FOR
THE BLOOD OF MUSLIM CHILDREN."
ISRAEL WOULD USE THE TV SHOW IN A COUNTER MEDIA BLAST AGAINST THE ARAB
WORLD, SAID THE RADIO, BY DISSEMINATING TRANSLATED ENGLISH VERSIONS OF IT TO
MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD ESPECIALLY EUROPE.
ISRAELI MEDIA AND ITS SUPPORTERS ROUTINELY LAMPOON ARABS AND MUSLIMS AND
SHOW THEM IN REMARKABLY OFFENSIVE CONTEXTS IN MOVIES, TV SHOWS, MAGAZINES, AND
BOOKS. IT IS AUDACIOUS FOR ISRAEL TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ITS PORTRAYAL IN AN ARAB
TV SHOW WITH A VERY LIMITED AUDIENCE.
IN A STATEMENT TO THE KUWAITI NEWSPAPER AL-RAI AL-AAM COMING OUT TOMORROW,
COMEDIAN DAWOUD HUSSEIN, WHO PORTRAYS SHARON IN THE ABU DHABI TV SHOW, SAID
THAT SHARON'S TAINTED POLITICAL RECORD NEEDS NO SPOOFING ON A COMEDY SHOW
BECAUSE IT IS WELL KNOWN.
HE ADDED THAT HIS SHOW DID NOT INSTIGATE ANTI-SEMITIC SENTIMENTS IN THE
VIEWER, ONLY REVULSION AT THE CHARACTER OF SHARON WHOSE POLITICAL MISBEHAVIOR
IS SPATTERED WITH THE BLOOD OF INNOCENT ARABS OVER THE YEARS, PARTICULARY IN
SABRA AND SHATILA.
HUSSEIN SAID THAT A SHOW LIKE HIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO ANSWER BACK THE FLOOD OF
ANTI-ARAB AND ANTI-MUSLIM LITERATURE THAT COMES OF ISRAEL AND ITS SUPPORTERS
WITHOUT ANY QUALMS FOR THE FEELINGS OF ARABS AND MUSLIMS EVERYWHERE. (END)
UD.AJS
KUNA 190127 Nov 01NNNN