Israeli-Arab Actor Killed by Militants in West Bank

Yesterday, April 4, Juliano Mer Khamis, an Israeli-Arab actor, director and activist, was killed at 52 in a small town in the West Bank where he ran a drama school, the AP first reported.  According to Jenin police chief Mohammed Tayyim, Khamis was shot five times by one or more militants. No arrests have been made or charges filed to date.

Mer Khamis, known for his appearance in the 1984 American film, The Little Drummer Girl, and several acclaimed Israeli films, was born to a Jewish mother and an Arab father. Notoriously outspoken against Israel's treatment of Palestinians, Mer Khamis founded Freedom Theater school in 2006 in an effort to provide the youth of Jenin an creative outlet that helped them forget about the issues around them. "We lack a culture of criticism. We lack a culture of free thinking," Mer Khamis told The Associated Press in 2009 referencing his production of Animal Farm. "One of our roles is to challenge this." The theater was the site of several vandalism attacks over the years.

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After the shooting, Mer Khamis's body was transfered to Israel by a Palestinian ambulance.