’Intimidating’ Arabic signs for hit TV show irk some Israelis
JERUSALEM: Stark billboards in Arabic promoting the new season for a hit Israeli television series have prompted a public outcry from residents intimidated by the signs.
The second season of “Fauda,” due to begin on Sunday night, was being promoted in cities throughout Israel with large black billboards carrying short phrases in white-lettered Arabic — “brace yourselves,” “on its way to you,” “action will start in a bit” — with no Hebrew translation.
The acclaimed fictional series delves into the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the story of an undercover unit.
The billboard campaign was nationwide, and residents in the northern city of Nesher, near Haifa, and Kiryat Gat in Israel’s south complained about the billboards, according to officials.
They have since been removed and replaced across Israel, though it was unclear if the complaints are what prompted any of the removals.
“I’m happy to announce that thanks to our action, the intimidating signs were replaced,” Nesher council member Shlomi Zino said in a Facebook video, gesturing to the new billboard with the word Fauda in Arabic and Hebrew and a picture of an actor.
“We’ll continue protecting you,” Zino said.
Kiryat Gat mayor Aviram Dahari said he would have a sign in his city removed on Sunday, explaining that residents perceived it as a “threat,” according to a Channel 10 television report.
Israeli television company yes, which is airing Fauda, said in a statement that the series “deals with the complex relations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, speaks Arabic and Hebrew, and therefore, it is only natural that the series would be promoted in these two languages.”
Series creator and writer Avi Issacharoff criticized Dahari and Zino, saying on Twitter that “there’s no reason to be ashamed or afraid of a language. Maybe of ignorant people.”