'Israel murders children'. Scene from play
Marmara hits stage in anti-Israel play
'We are presenting Israel's inhuman actions against Palestinians,' says director of play on flotilla raid
On Saturday a new play about the May 31 IDF flotilla raid on the Mavi Marmara, which killed nine Turkish civilians, premiered in Istanbul. About a thousand people watched 'Dying to Give Life – Mavi Marmara', and its producers have planned many more showings throughout the country.
The play was the most recent anti-Israel entertainment in a long line of Turkish productions, which include two TV shows portraying IDF soldiers as bloodthirsty war criminals as well as a diplomatic incident between Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and the Turkish ambassador to Israel, in which the former seated the latter in a lower chair than his own.
Later a Turkish movie called 'Valley of the Wolves: Palestine' was released, depicting the travails of a Turkish agent who takes revenge against an Israeli general responsible for the flotilla raid, the murder of children, and the torching of Palestinian villages.
In 'Dying to Give Life', Israeli soldiers are shown interrogating Turkish activists aboard the Marmara. According to the writers, the play is aimed at showing "the long-term persecution of innocent Palestinians" as well as "Israeli procedures of oppression throughout the years".
The show has already received widespread media coverage as well as a broadcast by the Turkish Quds TV and a place of honor on the website of the IHH, the group that organized the flotilla to Gaza and which Israel suspects has ties to terror agents.
Scene from the play
Actors watched raid footage in preparation
"We are presenting the inhuman actions of Israel against the Palestinians, and that for 50 years it has been slaying the Muslim public and killing children mercilessly," the director of the play said in an interview with the press.
"All of the countries in the world watched the violence on board the Marmara without doing a thing. The people who were killed there were our heroes."
In the play, IDF soldiers are shown interrogating and yelling at activists, who in turn mention the "suffering of the Palestinians".
"Our goal is not to allow anyone to forget the Zionist raid on the Marmara and to remember the suffering of the Palestinian people, who are being tormented by Israeli actions," explained director Avşin Bedir.
He added that in preparation for the play, he and the 22 actors watched footage from the Marmara raid as well as "torture videos from US and Israeli interrogations". Bedir added, "When the tape ended I was left alone in the classroom. No one could stand to watch the videos to the end."
The director added that during the raid, he had rushed to the Israeli embassy in Istanbul. "I felt like my hands were tied while the army murdered innocent people. As part of the Muslim people, we are glad there were martyrs on board the Marmara, and we want to do our part," he said.
Rafael Sadi, spokesman for the Organization of Turkish Immigrants in Israel, explained that the anti-Israeli trend in Turkey is proliferating.
"Not all Turks think this way, and many far from it, but unfortunately this is what the government displays out of political aims. Thus, a play which could have been marginal is receiving a lot of press. Many youths are exposed to this incitement and the de-legitimization of Israel gets worse," Sadi said.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
