Israeli Army Attacks Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Kidnapping Two

Wednesday July 27, 2011 17:25 by Danny Johnes - IMEMC and Agencies

Israeli army special forces attacked the Freedom Theatre in Jenin early Wednesday morning. Masked soldiers threw stone blocks at windows, kidnapped several staff, and threatened others at gunpoint.

The Freedom Theatre in Jenin

At approximately 3:30 a.m. masked soldiers started throwing blocks of stones at the theatre. Several windows were broken. One of the guards was forced to remove his pants and the other was handcuffed.

Adnan Naghnaghiye, the location manager, and Bilal Saadi, a member of the board, were both kidnapped by the Israeli soldiers. They are being held at an unknown location.

When Jacob Gough, the general manager, and Jonatan Stanczak, the co-founder of the theatre, arrived they were forced at gun point to squat on the ground with a family. Among the family were four small children.

Jonatan stated, ““Whenever we tried to tell them that they are attacking a cultural venue and arresting members of the theatre we were told to shut up and they threatened to kick us, I tried to contact the civil administration of the army to clarify the matter but the person in charge hung up on me.“

In April, the Freedom Theatre’s General Director, Juliano Mer-Khamis, was murdered by unidentified assailants.

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