Israeli forces raid children’s performance at the Palestinian National Theatre

WEB DESK: Israeli forces raided the Palestinian National Theatre in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday night, forcing the cancellation of a children’s musical performance and prompting emotional scenes outside the venue.

The incident took place at El-Hakawati, a long-standing centre of Palestinian arts. The troupe of young performers had been preparing to stage Dreams Under the Olive Trees when police entered the building and ordered everyone out. Witnesses said officers gave those inside only minutes to clear the premises, leaving children in costumes crying and scrambling to gather their belongings.

Footage shared by Middle East Eye showed an officer instructing participants to evacuate the hall immediately, while another clip posted by Israeli journalist Nir Hasson captured distressed children being ushered out of the theatre. The operation was carried out under directives issued by Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, according to local media.

El-Hakawati operates independently and reportedly receives no support from either the Palestinian Authority or the Israeli state. It has long been considered a pillar of Palestinian cultural life and a space for artistic expression under occupation. Its prominence has made it a repeated target of Israeli restrictions. Authorities have previously shut down several events there, including the opening session of the 2009 Palestinian Literature Festival and an eight-day closure in 2013 that halted a puppet festival Israel claimed was backed by the Palestinian Authority. In 2016, a cultural evening was also banned after a Palestinian minister was invited to attend.

Sunday’s raid comes amid an intensifying pattern of Israeli crackdowns on Palestinian cultural spaces across the occupied territories since October 2023. Bookshops in East Jerusalem have been raided, publishing houses in Ramallah demolished, and the Freedom Theatre in Jenin vandalised and forced to halt activities.

Artists and rights groups say the cumulative impact of these actions has left Palestinian cultural institutions facing some of the most severe restrictions in years, with Gaza’s artistic landscape already devastated by months of bombardment.