The Ariel Performing Arts Center ( he, המשכן לאומנויות הבמה אריאל, ''HaMishkan LeOmanuyot HaBama Ariel'') is an Israeli

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

complex, established in 2010 in

Ariel Ariel may refer to: Film and television *Ariel Award, a Mexican Academy of Film award * ''Ariel'' (film), a 1988 Finnish film by Aki Kaurismäki * ''ARIEL Visual'' and ''ARIEL Deluxe'', 1989 and 1991 anime video series based on the novel series ...

on the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

. It opened on November 8, 2010, with an acclaimed performance of Piaf by the

Beersheba Theater The Beersheba Theater (תיאטרון באר שבע) is a theater located in Beersheba, Israel. History The Beersheba Theater was established by actresses Naomi Blumenthal and Margalit Stander during Eliyahu Nawi's tenure as mayor of Beersheb ...

company. The opening was mired by an intended boycott by sixty actors, writers, and directors, including

Joshua Sobol Joshua Sobol ( he, יהושע סובול; born 24 August 1939), is an Israeli playwright, writer, and theatre director. Biography Joshua Sobol was born in Tel Mond. His mother's family fled the pogroms in Europe in 1922 and his father's family imm ...

, who refuse to perform in settlements because it would "strengthen the settlement enterprise". Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

and other right-wing commentators characterized this as a "boycott... against Israel's citizens". The boycott is being supported by other Israeli artists such as

Amos Oz Amos Oz ( he, עמוס עוז; born Amos Klausner; 4 May 1939 – 28 December 2018) was an Israeli writer, novelist, journalist, and intellectual. He was also a professor of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. From 1967 onw ...

David Grossman David Grossman ( he, דויד גרוסמן; born January 25, 1954) is an Israeli author. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2018, he was awarded the Israel Prize for literature. Biography David Grossman was born i ...

, and Dani Caravan,; 150 U.S. actors have supported them in an open letter."Making history: support for Israeli artists who say NO to normalizing settlements",

Jewish Voice for Peace Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP; קול יהודי לשלום ''Kol Yehudi la-Shalom'') is a left-wing Jewish activist organization in the United States that supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel. Founding, staff ...

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{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121220091537/http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/campaigns/making-history-support-israeli-artists-who-say-no-normalizing-settlements-4 , date=2012-12-20 though none of them have actually been invited to perform.

References

Ariel (settlement) Arts organizations established in 2010 Culture of Israel Performing arts centres 2010 establishments in the Palestinian territories