When Israeli playwright and journalist Tomer Aldubi first began reporting on LGBTQ issues more than a decade ago, he did not expect it to lead him to the story that would become his most ambitious theatrical project. But after a series of interviews with queer Palestinians living in precarious circumstances, Aldubi realised he had encountered something that journalism alone could not fully capture.
The result is Sharif, a play that tells the story of a Palestinian man forced to flee the West Bank after being outed, only to find himself navigating another complicated reality in Israel, where he finds both refuge and danger. The work, based on real testimonies, is now being introduced to British audiences through staged readings in JW3 and in Kings Head Theatre in Islington ahead of a planned London production later this year.
For Aldubi, who is based in Israel but who spends much of his time in London, the play represents the culmination of years spent reporting on LGBTQ communities across Israel and the Palestinian territories on the Israeli news site Mako.
“I reported on stories that stayed with me. Men and women who had to leave their homes because their lives were in danger, but who then found themselves in a kind of legal, social and emotional limbo,” he says.
Aldubi first began hearing about the experiences of queer Palestinians in 2020. After their sexuality became known, they fled family rejection, social persecution and, in some cases, physical violence. Some crossed into Israel for safety, yet their situation there was not always straightforward. Without official refugee status or residency permits, they could find themselves living in uncertainty, dependent on temporary arrangements and, in some cases, vulnerable to deportation.
These stories form the emotional backbone of Sharif, and the current script is an update on an earlier version shown to audiences in Israel, the UK and the USA.
“Things change all the time and I felt that the play needed to be brought up to date and refined. We listened to the audience feedback and have been lucky enough to work with a Palestinian dramaturge who advised us on a variety of issues and ensured the Palestinian story is brought to the audience in an authentic way. When I wrote the first version, I wrote it for an Israeli audience. This version aims to bring a broader perspective to a wider audience."
It was inspired by Ahmad Abu Marhia, a gay Palestinian who was murdered by the family of one of his close friends at the age of 25. He was killed while waiting on an asylum claim in Israel.
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