"We are in great need of this kind of media criticism," says Emad Farajin, one of the three actors and writers. "There is no way for us as artists and people of culture to be silent about the state of division in which we live."
Airing on official Palestine TV, a station not know for allowing critical views of those in power, seemed to make an exception. Yasser Abed Rabbo, aide to the President Mahmoud Abbas, heads the station and allowed the satire to go on the air. He said Abbas enjoyed the program.
The skits poke fun at the factions and different aspects of Palestinian life and politics. In one bit, Farajin plays an Abbas-like president addressing his Fatah's seventh convention. The most recent one, the sixth came 20 years after the previous one. In the program, the next convention is set in the year 2509.
And the Abbas he plays is a descendant of the current head of the Palestinian Authority, a satire of hereditary succession in the Arab world.
"I won't have any shooting," the future-Abbas tells the delegates. "I am for negotiations... and then more negotiations... and then more negotiations. And anyone who wants to shoot guns - We will shoot them!"
The humorous message is that little changes in 500 years. The conference delegates include other descendants, such as Dahlan XIV and Abu Al-Wilaa XVI. In the same skit, the future leader tries to locate his Palestinian ID and his Israeli travel permit.
Another skit made light of certain Palestinian negotiators. One is depicted giving his pants to Israeli officials in exchange for removing an Israeli military checkpoint.
In one, Hamas policemen wearing fake beards appear to be conducting an operation near the border with Israel. Their mission: to stop other militants from from firing rockets in order to keep a truce with their enemy, Israel.
Farajin noted they needed permission to produce the program. However, since getting permission, they have been given a free hand. "We have no red lines. We have a political decision to criticize whatever we want," he said.
Said Abed Karim, a 25-year-old student, admitted: "I was very surprised, because it's the first time that I saw Palestinian TV criticize Palestinian leadership, even in a funny way."
Allowing dissident programming appears to be somewhat of a turnabout. Only a year ago, Palestinian officials sought to cancel and then censor a television soap opera that mentioned the sensitive issue of corruption among Palestinian officials. Produced by the Goethe-Institut, the program 'Matabb' was eventually aired in Palestine.
According to the AP:
In July, Palestinian Authority officials closed Al-Jazeera operations for days, because the pan-Arab station aired a claim linking Abbas to the death of his predecessor Yasser Arafat. Palestinian newspapers at times censor themselves and won't run stories that could be seen as too critical of the government.Some charge that this new openness signals a growing appreciation for press freedoms and political dissent by the PA. Abed Rabbo said, "The program shows the development in speech and press freedom in the Palestinian Authority."
Others are skeptical. Talal Okal, a Gaza analyst, said he believes the Abbas government wants to appear to back free speech through such highly visible programs yet will keep cracking down on dissent.
