The Freedom Theatre: It is urgent we speak out because Israel will attack Jenin again

On Monday 3 July I woke up to the sound of an air raid alarm going off in Kharkiv, East Ukraine.

But as I checked my phone to ascertain the situation's severity, it was news of bombing in Jenin Refugee camp, Palestine, that caught my attention.

I messaged Ahmed Tobasi, the artistic director of The Freedom Theatre, a cultural centre based in Jenin camp, where I have worked since 2010.

Israeli invasions happen regularly but he confirms this one is different, “It could be 24 hours or 3 days…but it’s clear they [are] coming to do change”.

We know the situation has been building to this. 63 Palestinians from Jenin have already been killed this year, including two children from the theatre, 17-year-old Mahmoud Al-Sadi and 14-year-old Sadil Naghnaghieh, niece of our head technician Adnan Torokman.

''Yes, there are incredible allies working relentlessly in solidarity. But still even with all the brutality broadcast on mainstream news these recent weeks, there is an overwhelming silence from the majority of my family and friends. There is no public outcry from most in government and positions of power or the over 100 UK theatres and festivals that have received The Freedom Theatre’s cultural events.''

I was in Ukraine to speak about what role theatre can play in the face of invasion and colonialism. With pride, I had spoken of The Freedom Theatre's achievements. How since the second intifada it had built a political and artistic movement, that raised its voice against discrimination, providing an alternative narrative from those in Jenin camp, who were consistently labelled as terrorists.

As over 1000 soldiers surrounded the camp, armoured bulldozers took to the streets and drones circled the sky, the situation was drawing the world's media attention. As many joined Israel in demonising the camp as a "hornets nest”, The Freedom Theatre’s mission to continue speaking out, is urgent.

The team in the camp started creating videos, taking photos and messaging what they had witnessed. Even as Isra Awartani shielded her three daughters from harm, Rania Al Wasfi frantically tried to reach her family and Tobasi found himself face to-face with an armoured vehicle, they managed to get the story out. An intricate network of allies, activists and grassroots media organisations, have all worked to amplify this voice in mainstream media.

There were no flights out of Ukraine and Palestinians are denied the right to an airport, so I began a two-day journey predominantly over land.

On buses and trains the main job I could do was to utilise The Freedom Theatre’s social media platforms, circulate information between different parties and feedback any media requests.

In Jenin the internet kept cutting and the electricity had been targeted, so there was a delicate balance between communicating and everyone saving phone battery.

“Ok, I’m saying bye” Tobasi told me in a message as his phone battery died.

Then videos began circulating of families running out the camp as the army's attack intensified.

I checked in with Rania “My mom and Suzanne’s house was bombed” she told me. Suzanne her sister is also a member of the theatre but Rania could no longer get in contact, “they are trapped under the bombing of the planes”.

I waited to see if Tobasi has managed to leave with his family. During the ten-day invasion of Jenin Camp in 2002, he was shot and put in prison for four years. He was 17 years old.

I received a message “I left with the family” and had a brief moment of relief until I read “Yes it’s gonna be crazy”.

Early Wednesday morning, I arrived at the border to Palestine only to be stuck for 8 hours. The majority of that time was spent with Israeli guards and soldiers who controlled entrance in and out.

I didn’t have access to the internet and I worried I’d prioritised a personal and emotional want to be there, over what I could usefully have been doing.

After the first round of questioning and despite being the spouse of a Palestinian, an Israeli soldier said I would not be allowed to enter. A small insignificance on the scale of what is happening but on a personal level it was devastating.

When I finally got some internet connection, I discovered that Israelis had withdrawn that morning and I received a photo from Tobasi smiling despite the rubble in the background.

It would be another day until Adnan Torokman and his son were released from prison.

The team in Jenin Camp had no time to rest or process what had happened, as they continued to speak out about the atrocities.

Outside the theatre, where adults sit and kids play, there has been serious damage caused by bombing. It’s still undetermined whether the cracks in the ceiling of the theatre might cause the roof to collapse.

Artists have mobilised to support the community who are facing long-term psychological effects from continued attacks. A day of clowning and kids’ performances takes place and three months of activities start being planned for children, nurses and mothers.

This trauma lives across generations, and despite this being the most aggressive attack since 2002, today, next week or in a few months, the Israeli army will soon return.

The Freedom Theatre, storytelling, arts, and imagination continue to triumph but it can only do so much.

What is needed is for Israel to stop violating every aspect of human rights. For that to happen, it will take more than just the committed and trusted allies in the international community to take responsibility.

How to get people to take action is a question at the core of The Freedom Theatre’s work.

Palestine has built a vibrant and powerful artistic community who are using every creative means to communicate what is happening, why they resist and their demands.

When it was clear the perspective of Jenin camp was not heard, The Freedom Theatre was founded.

When we were told the plays were too angry, we created comedy.

The bombed yard of @freedom_theatre in #Jenin_Camp

The painting on the wall (shown before the attack) reads "the past will also be present in the future"

It includes the image of our murdered Artistic Director Juliano Mer Khamis & Indian Director Safdar who was also murdered pic.twitter.com/lEOwtQWFkr

— Zoe Lafferty (@zoe_lafferty) July 6, 2023

Too expensive, we made a one-man show.

That visa restrictions made programming productions unpredictable, we wrote a script that could be performed by actors worldwide.

That Palestine narratives felt too far away, we created virtual reality.

That artists and our international allies were terrorist sympathisers, anti-Semites, or simply driven by hate, we educated and unpicked that slander.

When people were scared to speak out, we taught the power of Cultural Resistance. And when our Artistic Director Juliano Mer Khamis was murdered and theatre members were imprisoned, we demonstrated how to stay strong.

Yes, there are incredible allies working relentlessly in solidarity. But still even with all the brutality broadcast on mainstream news these recent weeks, there is an overwhelming silence from the majority of my family and friends. There is no public outcry from most in government and positions of power or the over 100 UK theatres and festivals that have received The Freedom Theatre’s cultural events.

So now as the media moves on to the next big story, it’s time to stop answering questions and instead, ask them. Most crucially, when will the international community stop being spectators in this story of pain and loss, resistance and resilience and start doing everything in their power to make this end?

That is the most urgent message The Freedom Theatre can amplify right now. But as experts in storytelling, we know that demands for action must be coated in messages of hope…

There was a mother from Jenin Camp who helped found the original Stone Theatre during the first intifada. On that stage, they began a chant for liberation.

From the ruins of the second intifada The Freedom Theatre was built, and her daughter stood in defiance and performed.

Now her grandchildren dance & sing in that same theatre, that remains standing, despite another invasion.

Zoe Lafferty is associate director at The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, Palestine where she is currently collaborating on the global solidarity project ‘The Revolution’s Promise’ and virtual reality film ‘In A Thousand Silences’.

Follow her on Twitter: @zoe_lafferty

Have questions or comments? Email us at: editorial-english@alaraby.co.uk

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.