ABSTRACT

Any discussion that incorporates two such very different cultural institutions as the Jewish-Israeli theatre and the Palestinian theatre, must of necessity entail separate approaches, while at the same time also encompass the inherent ties between the two cultures. The Jewish-Israeli theatre is a complex and developed system in which the dispute with the Palestinians constitutes just one of the important components in its repertoire; while the Palestinian theatre, both within and outside of Israel, is still in the initial stages of consolidation. For this reason, I have chosen to begin by relating to the Palestinian theme as it appears in the Jewish-Israeli theatre; while in the second part of this introduction, I shall attempt to characterise the Palestinian theatre in general, and to show that in the last twenty years it has chosen to present the dispute with the Israelis as its primary theme. The reader will find a more in-depth discussion of the subjects touched upon here in the articles that follow (particularly those of Reuven Snir, Dan Urian, Shimon Levy and Avraham Oz).