CAIRO: Normalization with Israel has always raised divisions among Egyptians, especially within intellectual, journalist, political, and even religious circles. Some consider simply visiting the Palestinian territories as direct involvement in the normalization process with Israel, because of being forced to have Israeli endorsement of the visit and of having an Israeli stamp glued into the traveler's passport. For Egyptian-based Tunisian actress Hend Sabry, she discovered the hard way way what a trip to Ramallah in the West Bank could garner. The famous Tunisian superstar and also Goodwill ambassador to UNICEF, denied was forced to deny rumors that spread among Arab Actors over allegedly traveling to Tel Aviv. Sabry said in statements to local Egyptian newspapers upon returning from a visit to Ramallah, that “I visited Ramallah, which is located in the Palestinian Territories, not Israel, and that I went there via Jordan in order to avoid having an Israeli stamp.” She is not the first actor to come under threats by the Egyptian actors guild. Two years ago, Amr Waked – a prominent international Egyptian actor who came to fame after his role alongside George Clooney in Syriana – also came under attack for his role in the BBC miniseries “The House of Saddam.” Waked acted alongside an Israeli actor in the film. Ironically, the Israeli was of Iraqi origins and was playing the role of the late dictator. Waked was not booted from the syndicate, but the threats were made clear by the leading members: “do not act with Israelis.” Sabry stressed that she traveled to Palestine in order to participate in the Palestinian Film Festival, “Al-Kasaba International Film Festival” after receiving an invitation from the Palestinian Authority. She added, “I went there to attend my first film (“Samt el-kosoor,” or “Silence of Palaces”), which was screened along with 60 other films, with the participation of 24 countries.” Although Egypt has diplomatic ties with Israel since the signing of the Camp David peace treaty in 1979, the vast majority of Egyptians refuse to deal with Israelis, even culturally. Normalization with Israel has become an overwhelming topic in the Egyptian press recently. Hala Mustafa, Editor-in-chief of the “Democracy” journal published by the government-owned Al-Ahram Center received harsh criticism for hosting Israeli Ambassador Shalom Cohen at her office last month. (see also “Israeli ambassador breaks bread with Hala Mustafa, controversy abounds”) This time the situation appears different, but the accusations against Sabry are akin to Mustafa's and have become a trend amongst both journalists and actors, as both syndicates forbid any contact with the Israeli government or its cultural apparatuses. Sabry added that she was proud and honored to meet with the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, and that he gave her a letter from the chairman of the Arab Actors Union, Ashraf Zaki. “They were very welcoming to me and happy that I visited Palestine and invited me to visit the Palestinian Territories and to break the siege,” she said. Sabry noted that she is opposed to normalization with Israel and stands united with those seeking to break the siege imposed on Palestinians. As criticism built, Sabry held a press conference, where she called on Arab Actors to break the siege imposed on the Palestinian People and to support the Palestinian cause and to visit Gaza to investigate the conditions on the ground and to show the Palestinian reality to the world. (see also “Normalization with Israel not a dead end”) During her Palestine visit, Sabry met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “It is ridiculous that us actors are forced to take politics into account when we want to meet with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in Palestine. This is unacceptable. The union must make a difference between Israel and Palestine,” one aspiring Egyptian actor told Bikya Masr, asking that their name remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the comments. The Egyptian Actors union, under the chairmanship of Dr. Ashraf Zaki, on Wednesday released a solidarity statement with Sabry. Zaki said in the statement that “in response to rumors that have been raised by some newspapers and websites about Hend Sabry, Dr. Ashraf Zaki announces that he appreciates the position of Hend Sabri in support of the Palestinian People, and I consider her visit as an honor to all Arab Actors.” A striking difference between Waked's situation where he was threatened with expulsion from the union. Sabry believes it shows that Palestians and Egyptians can work together despite the issues at hand. BM
