The Palestinian artist, Ruba Bilal Asfour, who was born in Nazareth, Jaffa, has given up the prize of best Israeli television actress on Wednesday 29/4/2020.
Ruba Asfour won the award for her role in the series “Our Boys,” which focuses on the 2014 murder of teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir by Jews seeking to avenge Hamas’ kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teens the previous month.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Bilal Asfour wrote that in the series, produced by HBO, she portrayed “the mother of the martyr Mohammed Abu Khdeir. In this role, I effectively tried to give the viewer a picture of the Palestinians’ perpetual pain and suffering, as well as the injustices of the Israeli occupation.
Later in the post, she wrote, “Personally, I experienced indescribable pain during the filming of the martyr Abu Khdeir’s story. I would return to my children and be unable to embrace them because of the terrible injustice that Mohammed and his family suffered, the same injustice that is happening today to Palestinian children who are prisoners or martyrs.
“As a Palestinian activist artist, every day I experience dilemmas in choosing the roles and projects I take part in, and through refusing utterly to accept roles that hurt me, my people or my humanity. This isn’t particularly easy when we live in an Israeli expanse that is constantly busy gagging people who call for peace and an end to the occupation.”
Finally, she thanked the academy for choosing her as best actress. ”I’m aware that my decision carries a heavy price, and I’m used to it, but on the other hand, I’m proud that I carry my Palestinian struggle, my human struggle, my political statements and my choice, which I see as the right one, with me.” Ruba said.
