Middle East violence affects sports, arts

JERUSALEM - The next time the Tel Aviv soccer team plays a home game, it will probably be in Bulgaria.

The reason: No professional soccer team has been allowed to play in Israel for months because the sport's European governing body considers it too dangerous. So Israeli teams must go elsewhere for their games, losing the home field advantage and the packed stadiums that go with it.

Take, for instance, a game in which the northern Israeli city of Haifa played a team from Belarus in Cyprus last month. A paltry 50 fans showed up for the game played in a 22,000-seat stadium. But 500 Cypriot police were stationed in and around the stadium to guard the Israeli players.

"We play, but we don't play in Israel, and it's a huge disadvantage," said Ronan Dorfan, a senior sports writer for the Haaretz newspaper.

It is not only sports, however, that is affected by the ongoing violence in this country. Entertainers have simply stopped coming to Israel, which until two years ago was a lucrative gig for musical groups and singers touring Europe.

Fear of bombings

In the summer of 2000, the big-name musical acts Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Alanis Morissette, Lou Reed and R.E.M. all staged concerts here in a single month. Last August, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were supposed to play here, but after three suicide bombings in as many days the group canceled, even though 20,000 tickets had already been sold.

"No one is coming," said Yadidya Fraiman, an Israeli musician. "Isolation is certainly a word that fits."

The problem now is twofold. One, is that suicide bombers have transformed this country into a place where safety is a constant worry. The bombers have targeted restaurants, nightclubs, hotels and buses in all parts of the country.

Two, is that Israel has come under harsh criticism, especially in Europe, for its treatment of Palestinians. That has led to entertainment being used as a forum for criticism, both here and abroad.

Hard to get insurance

Israeli performers are also being shunned because of safety concerns.

Last month, the famed Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was forced to cancel an eight-week tour in the United States because no one would insure it.

Zeev Dorman, the chairman of the orchestra, said fears of some kind of terrorist attack was a major part of the problem, so the orchestra rescheduled and will appear in Australia and Taiwan instead.

Within Israel, the effect on sports and entertainment has manifested in a number of ways. Last month, eight singers canceled their appearances in the opera "Salome," played by the Israel Philharmonic, citing safety concerns.

In June, three foreign dance companies pulled out of the Israel Festival, one of the country's largest events. Two cited security reasons.

The third, a Belgian-based group called Rwanda '94, said the treatment of Palestinians prompted the cancellation.

Earlier this year, a professional basketball team from Turkey refused to play a game in Tel Aviv because of security concerns.