Palestinian comedian denied entry to Lebanon for visiting 'occupied homeland'

Palestinian-American comedian Mo Amer sparked a discussion on how Palestinians are denied their right to movement in the Arab world after he was barred from entering Lebanon for a show.

Amer, 37, was on a tour performing shows across the Middle East. After his sold-out show in his birthplace Kuwait he tried to enter Lebanon but was denied entry because he had an Israeli stamp on his passport from a 2016 visit to Palestine.

“I was not allowed entry because I took my mother to her parents home in 2016”, he wrote on his Instagram story.

“Because I entered with my mom into the West Bank I was not allowed in Beirut. I’m really sorry I tried. It’s against the law what they did to me”, he added, talking about the institutional racism against Palestinians.

Amer, who then made expletive phallocentric comments about Lebanese officers on his story after the incident, is originally from the occupied West Bank. Because Palestine has no airport, the main way to enter is by landing inside Israel first.

“Mo, we are very sorry about the abuse you suffered at the airport” Lebanese blogger Gino Raidy wrote in response to the event in Amer’s defence, apologising on the behalf of Lebanon.

“It’s sad that a Palestinian who constantly riles against imperialism, would get treated this way by people who allegedly support and fight for the Palestinian cause”, he added.

Many more on social media rallied in support of Amer, urging others to view his story and raise awareness for the way Palestinians are treated in Arab airports.

The New Arab has contacted Mo Amer for a comment.