Has Arab Media Abandoned Palestine This Ramadan?
Israeli journalist Smadar Perry highlights the shocking absence of Palestinian issues in this year’s Ramadan TV dramas. Has Arab media chosen to ignore the occupation?
Watan-Ramadan is supposed to be a time for spirituality, reflection, and remembering just causes. However, according to Israeli media, official Arab broadcasters seem to have taken a different path.
Israeli journalist Smadar Perry, known for her close ties with Arab leaders, expressed surprise at the content aired by Arab media during Ramadan. Writing from Tel Aviv, she remarked: “37 series, and not a trace of Palestine! No Gaza, no Al-Aqsa!”—highlighting the absence of Palestinian-related themes in the biggest productions of the season.
Perry, who described this shift as an “Arab media miracle,” noted that in the past, Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation were central to espionage and war dramas. Today, however, such themes have disappeared entirely. She even reviewed upcoming Ramadan shows and found no mention of Israel—as if it no longer exists in the Arab world’s narrative!
The irony that struck Perry was that Israeli occupation used to be at the heart of Arab drama, but now everything has changed. No talk of wars, displacement, or even conspiracies. Mocking the shift, she quipped: “It’s a Ramadan without Israel,” as if the occupation was never part of the Arab reality.
But is this omission accidental or deliberate? Is it just a coincidence that Arab dramas are ignoring Palestine while focusing on other non-political themes?
While Palestine may be absent from the Ramadan screens, it remains very much a reality. Gaza is still under bombardment, Al-Aqsa remains under threat, and resistance continues. Has Arab media chosen to fast from the truth this year? Or is it imposing a forced abstinence on its audiences from their most important cause?
