The case in brief: Noam Shuster Eliassi, an Israeli comedian and peace activist fears for freedom of expression in the country. According to her, the government is running revenge attacks that destroy their future. Eliassi grew up in Neve Shalom, a place where Jews, Christians and Muslims live side by side. She says that she experiences a lot of hatred and threats from compatriots who owe her for treason. Eliassi is dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the return of the hostages and believes that the solution to the conflict lies elsewhere. She was in Norway to speak at the World Expression Forum, where she spoke about the tense relationship between Israelis and Palestinians. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – Israeli society is moving more and more to the right. That’s what Naomi Shuster Eliassi, an Israeli comedian and peace activist, says. She is very critical of the authorities in Israel. – We cannot expect the same government that led us to 7 October to get us out of it. She believes that the current government is carrying out revenge attacks that destroy the future of both Israelis and Palestinians. – Do you understand those who support the war? – I feel for them because they have never met a Palestinian. The 37-year-old believes that the solution to the conflict lies in each other. – Our destinies are intertwined. If they are not safe, I am not safe. If I am not safe, they are not safe. An oasis of peace Eliassi grew up in Neve Shalom, a small place halfway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. There, Israeli citizens with a Jewish, Christian and Muslim background have voluntarily chosen to live side by side. – My parents moved to Neve Shalom for a new future for us. The name means “oasis of peace” in Hebrew and the aim of those who created the place was that the rest of the population should be inspired. Neve Shalom, or an oasis of peace, is a city in Israel where Jews, Christians and Muslims voluntarily live together. The tiny place houses just under 400 people today and is the only one of its kind in Israel. Her upbringing means that she speaks Arabic as well as Hebrew. Eliassi’s mother has roots from a Jewish-Iranian family, his father from European Jews who survived the Holocaust. Both fled to Israel from the persecution of Jews. She says that the parents have fought for peace and justice. Eliassi grew up in Neve Shalom, here with his mother and brother. Photo: Private – My father refused to participate in the Israeli military, he refused to serve in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. He was in military prison. Fears for freedom of expression Eliassi came into the spotlight when she proposed to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on TV. – People went completely crazy, they couldn’t understand it. There were talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia about establishing diplomatic relations, and this was what she wanted to emphasize with an ironic undertone. Eliassi says it is primarily the Palestinians they must create diplomatic relations with. Before starting her career as a comedian, she worked at the UN to counter extremism in Israel. Humor has been her approach to dealing with the serious situation in her home country and making her countrymen reflect, she says. Humor is her way of approaching the serious situation in her country, says Noam. Photo: PRIVAT – I realized that my position as a Jewish-Israeli comedian who talks about politics in Arabic, Hebrew and English has an impact, and can reach many people. I think she went well. Right up until now. – Before the war, I had the impression that humor was unlimited. I thought I could say everything. I have learned that even a Jewish Israeli who thinks she has freedom of speech does not always have it. She says that she experiences a lot of hatred and threats from many compatriots who owe her for treason. – Even showing sympathy for civilians in Gaza can lead to death threats, she says. The political climate in the country is completely different after 7 October, according to her, Israel has never been more right-wing. Nevertheless, Eliassi states that she will not stop with political satire. Dissatisfied with Netanyahu Eliassi is dissatisfied with the government’s handling of the return of the hostages. On that point of view, she says that many compatriots agree with her. According to her, it is when she starts raising her voice for justice for Palestinians in Israel, Gaza and the occupied West Bank that she loses support. – We have to talk about the occupation, we have to talk about the Palestinians, we have to demand a better solution. One that replaces the current one with a more moderate government. According to Eliassi, Netanyahu’s government did not contribute to peace. Photo: Ronen Zvulun / Reuters According to Eliassi, the last 8 months of a military war have not led to a solution. – The only thing that got many hostages back alive was a negotiated ceasefire, she says. “Children of Oslo” Eliassi came to Norway to speak at the World Expression Forum. There she talked about the tense relationship between Israelis and Palestinians. She thinks it’s a special place to be, and calls herself a “child of Oslo”. – I was considered a child of Oslo. We were to grow up with the effect of this agreement. We had hope, but Oslo failed. The Oslo Accords were signed in 1993 between the leader of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat and the then Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, with Norway as the main mediator. The year after the Oslo Accords, Arafat, Shimon Perez and Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize. Not long afterwards, Rabin was shot and killed by a right-wing, Orthodox Jew who strongly opposed the signing of the agreement. Photo: Lise Åserud / SCANPIX The aim of the agreement was to lay the foundations for a solution to lasting peace in the Middle East. She believes that the opposite of the intentions for the agreement happened. – We grew up to see the housing estates expand. The occupation became deeper and deeper, the settlers became more right-wing. Israeli society is becoming more right-wing. In the midst of this, the Palestinians are desperately trying to find a way to live under military rule. Although Eliassi believes that the Oslo agreement is a failure, she is happy that Norway has recognized Palestine as its own state. Photo: Christian Breidlid / news Eliassi believes that the fault lies in the fact that many Israelis and Palestinians felt that they had no ownership of the agreement. – Many felt that it was the elite from both sides who met in secret in Oslo to talk over our heads about our future. The most familiar foreign to them. She is nevertheless happy that Norway is one of the countries that has recognized Palestine as its own state. – What is your hope for the future? – There is no future for Israelis if there is no future for Palestinians. Full freedom, full equality, full liberation. If the Palestinians do not get the same privileges, our lives will continue to be unhappy. Published 27.06.2024, at 16.22
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– Before the war, I had the impression that humor was unlimited – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
