A film starring an Arab boy from Klanswe represented Israel at the Oscars and the Minister of Culture went out of his way

Culture Minister Miki Zohar announced his decision to cancel funding for the Ophir Awards starting next year, 2026, in protest of director Shai Carmeli's film "The Sea" winning the Best Picture award and his selection to represent Israel at the Oscars.

The film tells the story of Khaled, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy who tries to reach the sea for the first time in his life despite military checkpoints. The film won four other awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Leading Actor for a Young Man: star Muhammad Ghazawi, a Palestinian Arab Israeli citizen from Kalanswa, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Khalifa Natour from Kalanswa.

Mickey Zohar claimed that the film "distorts the image of IDF soldiers who sacrifice their lives," and added that public money should be invested in films "loved by Israelis, and not in works that offend them"!

The head of the Film Academy, Assaf Amir, responded to the minister, saying that "Israeli cinema once again proves its ability to express a complex and painful reality," and believed that choosing an Arabic-language film and a joint production by Israelis and Palestinians to represent Israel at the Oscars is "a resounding message against attempts to silence art."

That's all the news.

Anyone reading this news thinks this is a banana state or that the Palestinian Authority is full of corruption!

This news is a product of Israel's Blue and White party. And this minister is a member of an Israeli government that also includes a minister accused of several bribery cases, and a director of her office accused of running a drug production laboratory and growing drug plants in her home.

And regarding the head of that government – there is nothing to add at all!