Israeli director Yuval Abraham criticized over contacts with Palestinian activist
In Israel, Israeli director Yuval Abraham has come under criticism over longstanding contacts with Palestinian journalist and activist Ahmed Alnaouk. As The Jerusalem Post reports, investigative journalist Eitan Fischberger disclosed these ties on Sunday.
According to the publication, in 2019 Abraham, who was then working as a journalist, contacted Alnaouk to discuss what young residents of the Gaza Strip know and think about local politics. At the end of the same year, they created the Across the Wall initiative, where young Palestinians can publish personal stories translated into Hebrew. Abraham repeatedly called Alnaouk a close friend and partner.
Award in Venice and reaction in Israel
Attention to the director intensified after his film NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The Jerusalem Post writes that the film was sharply criticized by most Israeli politicians, while the Israel Defense Forces categorically rejected the allegations presented in the film.
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Israel’s Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar said he would seek to strip Abraham and Rachel Tzur of their Israeli citizenship. He accused the directors of “betrayal of the state.”
Claims concerning Alnaouk
The Jerusalem Post describes Alnaouk as vice president, treasurer, and head of external relations and advocacy at Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor. The publication notes that Israel has designated this organization as terrorist since 2015 and links it to Hamas. Also, according to The Jerusalem Post, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs previously stated that Euro-Med founder Rami Abdu is a Hamas operative.
According to the publication, Alnaouk’s brother Ayman was killed in 2014. Alnaouk called him a member of the “resistance,” while Hamas’s Qassam Brigades published a posthumous message about him featuring a photograph of a man with a weapon and a Hamas headband.
