By Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem —
Defense Minister Moshe Dayan condemned it for undermining morale and giving succor to the enemy. Army Chief of staff Haim Bar-Lev joked that it was raunchy enough to be performed for the boys at the front with Egypt. Members of the audience hurled curses, stink bombs and stones while critics called for its creator to be locked up in a psychiatric facility.
Last month (June) marked the 40th anniversary of the rise and fall of Israel’s most controversial play, Malkat Ambatya, (Queen of a Bathroom), Hanoch Levin’s blunt indictment of Israeli militarism and hubris after the stunning victory of the 1967 Six Day War.
And the controversy – over claiming territory captured in that conflict, over whether Israel is doing much if anything to make peace over its – in Levin’s view, self-righteous dehumanisation of Arabs – continues to reverberate today.
Continue reading Israel's Occupation: The (controversial) Play – by Ben Lynfield