Do you describe Watan Ala Watar (W3W) as a political satire show?
Yes, it’s a socio-political satire show touching on the themes of politics, nepotism, religion, corruption, and traditionally taboo issues. It’s mostly concerned with issues that arise over internal conflicts, which are suppressed and masked by external ones.

Can you tell us about your viewership?
We do not have a specific target group. The show speaks to everyone and acts as the voice of the oppressed. And if we, in the media, can talk about internal politics openly, it encourages the people on the street do so as well. The show’s aim is to reach people, and if we can make them laugh then we have done our job. And thanks to Facebook and the show’s appearance on YouTube, W3W’s audience has reached beyond the Palestinian territories. Forty percent of its viewers are from Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Egypt, and Jordan. Palestinian artists should make themselves known in the Arab world too.

How can you describe public tolerance versus official tolerance?
During the time of the Arab Spring, a lot of political satire shows that mocked those in power appeared. Simultaneously, these shows seemed to fuel the revolutions and act as a propeller for social movements. These shows, specifically the ones that appeared in Egypt, enhanced the public’s tolerance for criticism. However, the Arab Spring also made officials in Palestine more sensitive to criticism, lest it lead them to the same fate as other Arab officials. The state of political satire in a given country reflects the state of freedom of speech, and thus it’s in every politician’s interest to be tolerant to criticism. As for the public, since what we do is put a magnifying glass on the social and political issues in our society, the public is not only tolerant but also encouraging.

When writing, do you feel that there are certain boundaries that one should not cross?
The themes I am most careful about treading upon are religion and social norms. These two themes I treat with more sensitivity. But in general, I don’t set myself any boundaries. The upcoming episodes for instance will be on the Muslim Brotherhood and the immigrants in Syria.

Who is funding the show?
This is another major problem. No one is. There’s a lack of funding bodies for the arts in Palestine. There are many young Palestinian artists that are being prevented from having their ideas realised. In order for the show to improve and provide the viewer with better content, money is needed. And while most Palestinian artists are facing these problems, political artists are the ones suffering the most.

Do you feel you played a societal role in changing attitudes, perceptions, raising awareness, even the level of local tolerance for criticism?
Certainly. And this is precisely why the show was pulled off the air. This is proof to me that the show had an impact. The controversial themes of the sketches must have touched a nerve for somebody. The show’s ban from television, however, is a political decision and not because of complaints from the Palestinian Authority. As for raising the tolerance level, on the other hand, we still have a long way to go. We did some sketches in which we mocked doctors and policemen and this seemed to anger the very people who I thought would be more open-minded and tolerant toward criticism.

See PDF www.thisweekinpalestine.com/i179/pdfs/article/watan_ala_watar.pdf