Drama
Subject:
The Other
Arab-Israeli Conflict
LGBT
Family
Refugees
Palestinians

Text in:

he

English

Sharif شريف is a moving drama about the precarious lives of LGBTQ+ Palestinians.

Sharif was forced to flee the West Bank as a teen, after his sexual identity has been publicly
exposed and his life put in danger. Since then, he’s been trying to survive in Israel, a foreign
land, completely alone. Barely speaking the language, and guided by the memory of his secret
lover Nour, whom he left behind, he tries to secure a stay permit on the grounds of welfare.

The play oscillates between scenes from Sharif’s past and present – from interrogations by the IDF regarding his application for a permit that drag on for months; through the family crisis following his forced disappearance; to life-threatening encounters with the Palestinian Police. Some people he meets along the way lend him a generous hand, while others try to exploit his delicate situation. All Sharif dreams of is reuniting with his love. Nour’s fate is unknown to Sharif, and yet he is holding onto a thin thread. Will they ever meet again?

Sharif شريف is an emotional account of the challenging life of the queer Arab community amidst constant threat, neglect, and sometimes hope, which is rarely, if ever, presented on stage. The play represents the real life struggles that LGBTQ+ Palestinians face, and it was written based on thorough research and testimonials that were collected by its playwright.

Sharif شريف has been produced in Israel as an independent production, and is the writing and directing debut of Tomer Aldubi. It premiered at Haifa Theatre, and is the first play to publicly
address the situation of LGBTQ+ Palestinians and Israel’s responsibility towards them on a large mainstream stage. The play is currently touring Israel including at The Jaffa Theatre, an
exceptional meeting point of Arab and Hebrew cultures and languages.

The play’s social context

The struggle of Arab and Palestinian LGBTQ+ people is a burning matter that has been kept under the radar for many years and is still rarely addressed in public – be it in news, academic discourse, art, or social activism. The reality of LGBTQ+ people in the Middle East is rarely discussed in Western societies, where – although still facing discrimination – LGBTQ+ people are equally protected by law and can live freely, celebrating their identity. Sharif شريف offers a unique opportunity to share these stories with those audiences.

Queer people living in the occupied territories under Palestinian authority will often face prosecution, imprisonment, and in many cases even murder – sometimes even at the hands of their own family members. In a recent example from October 2022, 25 year old Ahmad Abu Marhia was murdered in Hebron, while waiting in Israel on an asylum claim to flee abroad. As mentioned in the BBC report of the incident, “Homosexuality is rejected within the most socially and religiously conservative parts of both Palestinian and Israeli societies, but gay people in Israel can freely lead their lives.”

It is through his journalism practice that he was first introduced to the situation of queer Palestinians on 2019, and was one of the first-ever journalists to publish articles and interviews about that community.

His knowledge of that community was also deepened through his time as a volunteer during
the last two years for The Different House – المختلف البيت, an Israeli non-governmental organization dedicated to empowering and assisting Arab LGBTQ+ people in Israel and in the west Bank. The NGO works to empower the community and provides legal and personal support to Palestinian asylum seekers in Israel and Arab transgenders.

The production of Sharif شريف, and Tomer’s rigorous public work, has assisted in raising awareness of the issue in Israel and beyond. In an article discussing the play (Haaretz, below), The Tragedy of Queer Palestinians, there are several devastating testimonials of Palestinians who have suffered at the hands of Palestinian Authorities for merely expressing support of the LGBTQ+ fight for rights.