‘The Double Trial of Issa Amro’
On August 20th we hope to see the Israeli Military Court put on Trial as Israeli playwright and actress, Einat Weizman, plans the debut of her latest theatre production ‘The Double Trial of Issa Amro’. The play will centre on the case of UN formally recognised Human Rights Defender and Hebron based. anti-occupation and apartheid activist, Issa Amro, who in January 2020 was convicted by the Israeli Military Court of 6 out of 18 charges that were labelled by Amnesty International as “politically motivated” and whose case I have previously written about here:
Weizman has shared that her vision is for the production to be the first in a series of plays that will see the spotlight put on how the Israeli Military Court is used as an instrument of the Israeli occupation and apartheid, in order to subjugate the indigenous population. This first iteration of the production, in its UK context, will draw links between British colonial martial law during the Mandate, and its legacy in the continued suppression of Palestinian resistance to occupation today.
It is estimated that Israel currently holds around 4,500 Palestinian prisonersin its military prisons, of which 140 are children under the age of 18, and 41 are women. One of the most well-known of these is Khalida Jarrar, a feminist Palestinian activist who, after spending an extended period of time in the widely condemned ‘administrative detention’ (where an individual can be held without charge for 6 months at a time, which can be renewed indefinitely), was charged and convicted for the ‘crime’ of “holding a position in a prohibited organization,” this being the ‘Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’. It is noteworthy that most major Palestinian political parties that challenge the status quo of the Israeli state are, unsurprisingly, “prohibited”https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.
Israel has been widely condemned by several human rights groups, both for imprisoning Palestinian civilians for political reasons and for its systematic incarceration of Palestinian children as young as 12. Israel is noted by ‘Defense for Children International Palestine’ as being the “only” state in the world that systematically imprisons children, with the main charge levelled against children being for the ‘throwing of stones’.
In a court system that has a conviction rate of over 99%, the charge is irrelevant — but the intent behind it is clear: and it isn’t about seeking justice.
In its restaging of Issa’s trial, this time judged by the public rather than a settler, Weizman’s important play does seek a kind of justice — however symbolic.
Rehearsals will take place through August, and premiere on the Finborough Theatre’s ‘YouTube’ Channel: Finborough Theatre — YouTube, available to stream for a month from Friday, 20th August.
The play is being developed and directed by Tommo Fowler (UK) and Marius Kolbenstvedt (Norway).
How can you help? As with many other industries, the arts have been heavily hit by the pandemic and this has resulted in limited income streams we, the fundraising team, can apply to for support for this immensely important human rights-based production. Initial figures for the production meant we were aiming to fundraise a minimum of £2000, which we have almost achieved through a successful ‘Go Fund Me’ campaign; however, due to continued Covid-19 related restrictions and an increase in costings, it has become clear that in order to successfully complete this project we will need to raise at least double this amount and so I humbly ask whether you may be able to support us further in this creative endeavour and to put the apartheid state of Israel’s Military Court on trial?
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