Israelis fight to save Palestinian children’s show

Puppeteers from the Israeli version of Sesame Street have joined the chorus of disapproval after Israeli authorities closed the Palestinian theatre hosting a children’s puppet festival because it had received money from the Palestinian Authority.

Israel’s Ministry of Public Security ordered the  closure of the Hakawati Theater in east Jerusalem because it broke laws relating to funding, said police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld.

Ariel Doron, the voice of Elmo on the Israeli version of Sesame Street, and Yousef Sweid, who plays an Arab muppet on the show, have created a Facebook group called Puppets4All in protest of the closure.

“Every boy and girl deserves to see puppet theatre,” said Doron. “There is no sense to this.”