'Israeli' forces block Palestine 36 screening at Jerusalem cultural center
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- 'Israeli' forces raid Yabous Cultural Center in Jerusalem, cancel film screening on British Mandate era.
- Authorities cite 2016 anti-terror law; locals condemn crackdown on cultural and artistic freedoms.
'Israeli' forces raided the Yabous Cultural Center in central Jerusalem ahead of a screening of the film 36, which explores the British Mandate period in Palestine, and issued an immediate ban on the event. The order cited provisions of the 2016 Anti-Terror Law, claiming the screening promoted the goals of banned organizations.
Read more: “Palestine 36” nominated for Best International Film at IFTAs
The order, based on Israel’s 2016 Anti-Terror Law (Article 69), claimed the screening promoted “terrorist organization activities” and alleged that the center could host events supporting such groups. The film documents Palestine’s history under the British Mandate.
Eyewitness account
Journalist Lama Ghousha, present at the scene, described the raid as abrupt, with soldiers delivering the ban directly to the center’s staff. She said the incident reflects the growing suppression of cultural spaces in Jerusalem, extending beyond political restrictions to the outright targeting of artistic and cultural activities.
Ghousha added that preventing the screening of a documentary, arguably the simplest cultural right—is emblematic of the severe limitations on freedom in the city, marking a new level in the ongoing crackdown on expression.
