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Gilboa, one month on: how Palestinian Great Escape ‘leader’ Zakaria Zubeidi continues to inspire hope
Bethany Rielly speaks to Jenin Freedom Theatre’s artistic director AHMED TOBASI about his friend Zubeidi’s ongoing legacy as a symbol of Palestinian liberation and cultural resistance
Famed Palestinian resistance fighter and cultural activist Zakaria Zubeidi at the Freedom Theatre in Jenin refugee camp

THERE are few people who have lived and lost as much as Zakaria Zubeidi, one of the six Palestinian prisoners whose daring escape from a maximum-security Israeli jail hit headlines across the globe last month. 

Breaking out of Gilboa prison with nothing but their wits and a simple spoon, the prisoners’ escape made a mockery of Israeli security, empowering millions of Palestinians.

Considered the leader of the operation, Zubeidi has since become a symbol of hope for the Palestinian people and their unwavering bid for freedom. 

Violence and art 

‘The third intifada will be one of culture’

Ahmed Tobasi, the artistic director of the Freedom Theatre


‘We are choosing theatre to resist the occupation’

He tried to live a normal life 

‘He became a story’

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