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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 18 May 2018

'Fauda' makes Israeli-Palestinian conflict a must-see TV hit

By ARON HELLER
Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) — When
the Israeli creators of the
Netflix show "Fauda" first
came up with its concept,
they doubted whether an
action series based on the
never-ending Mideast con-
flict would make for must-
see TV.
"Why would somebody
want to watch in their
spare time something that
is right outside their door?"
pondered Avi Issacha-
roff, a longtime Arab af-
fairs journalist in Israel. "We
wanted it to be realistic,
but we didn't know if peo-
ple who live with this crap
24/7 would be interested."
But even with a primarily Ar-
abic dialogue, it became a
hit in Israel, winning awards
and accolades for human-
izing both the Israelis and
the Palestinians.
It surprisingly also garnered
fans among Palestinians This image released by Netflix shows Rona-Lee Shim'on in a scene from "Fauda,"an action series based on the tedium of the never-
and other Arabs before ending Mideast conflict. The second season premieres on May 24.
earning acclaim in Hol- Associated Press
lywood for depicting the
drama of the conflict and "I think that's the secret of came a local sensation. boycott movement says it the student council there.
its human cost on both the show — everyone can Raz said the most he had aims to "whitewash the oc- Israeli TV news broadcasts
sides. No less a thriller au- connect to their narrative hoped for was that it would cupation" and has called billed it as a real-life 'Fauda'
thority than Stephen King and find something to iden- perhaps inspire an Ameri- on Netflix to remove it. scene.
lauded it on Twitter as "all tify with," said co-creator can spinoff series, following Such criticism seems likely The chief antagonist of Sea-
killer and no filler." Lior Raz, who also plays the hits like "Homeland," ''Hos- to grow given the recent son 1, Abu Ahmad, is based
Netflix, which doesn't re- lead role of Doron Kavillio. tages" and "In Treatment" bloodshed on the Gaza on Sheikh Ibrahim Hamed,
lease viewership numbers, "I just got a message from that were based on Israeli border, where Palestinians a Palestinian militant con-
calls it a "global phenom- someone in Turkey who productions. But Netflix have tried to breach the victed of murdering 54 Is-
enon" available in 190 said she hated Israeli sol- went a step further, running fence with Israel and doz- raelis. But the Arab-Israeli
countries. Season 2 will be diers but now understands it as-is in its original Hebrew- ens have been shot dead. actor who portrayed him
released on May 24. the complexities better, Arabic form. Even more moderate Arab tried to downplay compari-
Season 1 chronicles the ad- and some Israelis have also Raz said he credits the suc- voices have been off put sons to the contemporary
ventures of an undercover begun to understand the cess of "Narcos" for open- by the lovefest for "Fauda," conflict.
Israeli commando team Palestinians better." ing the door to non-English the Arabic word for "cha- "I think some people are
who immerse themselves in Though the plot is fictional, language programming os." confused. This is art. It's not
the heart of Palestinian so- many elements mirror that in the United States. Netflix Columnist Sayed Kashua real," Hisham Suliman said
ciety to capture a terrorist of Raz's own life. He too was has already commissioned said the series gave Israe- with a chuckle. "In reality,
behind a wave of suicide an undercover commando Raz and Issacharoff to write lis a sense of superiority by there are no superheros."q
bombings. who carried out operations two new shows for them. claiming it was popular
In addition to the shootouts similar to those depicted Einav Schiff, a TV colum- with Arabs, while it served
and chases, it also delves in the show, and during his nist for the Yediot Ahronot their own narrative.
into the politics and person- military service he had a newspaper, said the natu- "You already have military
al drama of the comman- girlfriend who was killed by ral interest in Israel and the victories and cultural con-
dos and terrorists, depicting a Palestinian attacker — Middle East was not the pri- trol in marketing the Israeli
their motivations and family like one of the characters. mary source of the show's occupation policy: At least
lives, often in a sympathet- He turned to acting after success. give the Palestinians the
ic manner. a stint as Arnold Schwar- "Bottom line, it is good TV. option of hating 'Fauda,'"
The creators, though they zenegger's bodyguard. A It's what you would come he wrote in Haaretz. "There
identify as Zionist Jews, chance encounter with to expect from American is nothing in 'Fauda' that
don't shy away from show- Issacharoff, a childhood and British productions. addresses the reality in the
ing the uglier sides of the friend, spawned the idea It's what an action show territories."
West Bank occupation and for a show that combined should look like," he said. In a case of life imitating
the struggles of the other their backgrounds. At first, Delving into such sensi- art, students at the Palestin-
side. They even look to Israeli distributors didn't tive terrain, though, has ian Beir Zeit university in the
smash one of the greatest want to touch it. Ultimately, not come without its crit- West Bank captured foot-
taboos of all, exploring the the YES satellite network ran ics. Hamas militants have age in March month of un-
possibility of an Israeli-Pal- a few episodes and then blasted it as Zionist propa- dercover Israeli comman-
estinian romance. extended its run after it be- ganda. The anti-Israel BDS dos arresting the head of