East Jerusalem – Artist Marwan Abado, an Austrian National of Palestinian origin, was detained immediately upon his arrival into Tel Aviv airport on Sunday 20th of July, and then was deported.
Abado was scheduled to participate in the Jerusalem Festival – Songs of Freedom, and in Bethlehem. His detention and deportation came in spite of the fact that Abado had obtained a visa through the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Several diplomatic bodies tried to intervene in the matter to have Abado released, including a representative from the Austrian Embassy, UNDP and the Consulate General of France. However, the Israeli Security continued to deny Abado entry, canceled his visa and put him on the first plane to Vienna after 24 hours of detention.
Regarding the incident, the festival organizers said: “We see such an unjustified action creating another unnecessary obstacle on the road to peace.”
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
