American comedian Dave Chappelle said a 鈥済enocide鈥� is striking the Gaza Strip amid the Israel-Hamas war to cheers during his performance in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, while urging Americans to fight anti-Semitism so Jews don鈥檛 feel like they need to be protected by Israel.
Chappelle鈥檚 comments come as Abu Dhabi has maintained its diplomatic relations with Israel even as it has increasingly criticized its conduct in the seven-month war.
Meanwhile, while pro-Palestinian marches have swept across the wider Middle East since the war began, protests and speech remains tightly restricted in the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.
Even before coming on stage, the full crowd at Abu Dhabi鈥檚 Etihad Arena cheered as DJ Trauma, who accompanied Chappelle on the trip, played the song 鈥淢y Blood is Palestinian鈥� by the Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf. The thousands there agreed to place their switched-off mobile phones in locked pouches for the performance 鈥� a standard feature of Chappelle鈥檚 shows.
About halfway through in a wide-ranging comedy set in Abu Dhabi, Chappelle, a Muslim, initially said he had been told by his friends either to discuss the war or not. From the audience, a woman screamed: 鈥淔ree Palestine!鈥� The crowd cheered.
Chappelle then said the Gaza Strip faces a 鈥済enocide.鈥� He also said that making Jews safer in America amid rising cases of antisemitism would make them realize they don鈥檛 need Israel as an ultimate protector.
Another moment also displayed just how diverse the crowd was in the Abu Dhabi. In telling another joke about how Jews cheer while drinking, Chappelle said 鈥渓鈥檆haim,鈥� or 鈥渢o life鈥� in Hebrew, which another man shouted back from the audience.
But when touching on the upcoming U.S. election, Chappelle鈥檚 mention of President Joe Biden 鈥� who has promised 鈥渋ronclad鈥� support for Israel 鈥� drew widespread boos throughout the arena. Donald Trump drew scattered cheers.
Chappelle, as other artists during the performance, told some racy jokes and swore. But they largely avoided discussing local politics 鈥� though Chappelle did make a sly joke about the UAE鈥檚 widespread surveillance network and another deadpanning about 鈥渉ow difficult is it to be gay鈥� in the country as homosexuality is illegal.
But he also came out on stage with a falcon on his arm 鈥� a symbol for the UAE.
Chappelle, 50, won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2019. He performed at the Abu Dhabi Comedy Week.
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Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press
