_a.jpg)
'Dr. Water Molecule'
Israeli actor banned from Abu Dhabi
Emirate cancels 40 performances by man famous around globe for 'Dr. Water Molecule' children's act
After touring the world with his successful children's show Dr. Water Molecule, Israeli actor and director Uri Weil was excited to receive an invitation to perform at Abu Dhabi's first science festival this coming November.
But the reality of the Middle East came knocking recently, when he received an e-mail message from the fair's organizers telling him the local government decided to exclude all Israelis from the event.
"I was excited (about going) to visit there for the first time, to perform there as an Israeli in a prestigious festival," Weil told Ynet.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
Weil, who plays a wild and funny scientist who conducts experiments that teach kids about the wonders of nature, has performed at science fairs across the United States, Italy, Switzerland and even Finland – where his show won first prize.
The organizers of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, with whom Weil has previously worked, invited him to Dubai over a year ago, and commissioned him and his crew to perform the show four times a day for 10 days.
"And they don't lack funds, so for me it's a lot of money," Weil said.
Excluded due to nationality
The e-mail that Weil received politely explained that he could not take part in the fair because he is Israeli."We truly want you to be part of the festival, but unfortunately we must inform you that we cannot include you in the program, simply because of your nationality," the message read. They also noted that the local government decided "not to include anyone from Israel, and we couldn't convince them otherwise."
Claiming that politics should not be mixed with science and crying discrimination did not help. Stating that an Arab performer is on his crew, and that the act is popular at Arab schools in Israel and serves as a bridge between the cultures did not change anything either. Even his Dutch passport was of no consequence.
"It's really upsetting, it was supposed to be a great adventure," Weils said. "Unfortunately science lost to politics this time."
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook
