ABU DHABI.- American comedian Dave Chappelle described it as genocide guerra Israel against Hamas in Gaza amid applause during his performance in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, while urging Americans to fight anti-Semitism so that Jews do not feel they need to be protected by Israel.
Chappelle’s comments come as Abu Dhabi has maintained diplomatic relations with Israel but has also increasingly criticized its conduct in the seven-month war.
While pro-Palestinian marches have spread across the Middle East since the war began, protests and freedom of expression remain strictly restricted in the Emirates, a federation on the Arabian Peninsula.
Even before taking the stage, the crowd at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena applauded when DJ Trauma, who accompanied Chappelle, played the song. My Blood is Palestinian of the Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf.
Dave Chappelle talks about war and the US on his show
About halfway through his comedy routine set in Abu Dhabi, Chappelle, who is Muslim, said his friends had told him whether to talk about the war or not. From the audience, a woman shouted: Free Palestine! The crowd applauded.
Chappelle later referred to the war as a genocide and said that making Jews safer in the United States amid rising cases of anti-Semitism would make them realize that they do not need Israel as a final protector.
At another time it also showed how diverse the public was in Abu Dhabi. Telling another joke about how Jews applaud while drinking, Chappelle said lchaim, or for life in Hebrew, to which another man replied from the audience.
But when referring to the upcoming US elections, Chappelle’s mention of President Joe Biden, who has promised strong support for Israel, provoked widespread boos throughout the arena. Donald Trump received scattered applause.
Chappelle, like other artists who performed the night of May 23, told some off-color jokes and included rudeness. But he largely avoided talking about local politics, although he did make a sly joke about the United Arab Emirates’ extensive surveillance network and another about how difficult it is to be gay in the country, since homosexuality is illegal.
But he also came out on stage with a falcon on his arm, a symbol of the United Arab Emirates.
Chappelle, 50, won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019. He performed at Abu Dhabi Comedy Week.
FUENTE: AP
