Arab-Israeli comedian arrested following jokes about hostage releases

The Israel Police arrested Nidal Badarny, an Arab-Israeli stand-up comedian, on Monday after he joked about the plight of recently released hostages.

The comments, some of which were posted to his social media, prompted Israeli human rights NGO Btsalmo to report him to the authorities, accusing him of “glorifying terrorism”.

Israeli police told the Kan public broadcaster that the footage of Badarny’s set “raised concerns about a breach of public peace”.

Btsalmo CEO Shai Glick told JNS that Badarny was arrested, questioned and released under restrictive conditions.

Two of Bardarny’s shows, in Haifa and Nazareth, were also cancelled following a public protest and a threat by the police to revoke the venue's business license.

In one example of his humour, Badarny made light of the captivity of Thai hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

Performing before an Arab-Israeli audience in Arabic, Badarny said: "Who told the Thais they were hostages? The Thais sit, they see a van pass by, get on it, thinking someone's taking them to work. They get to Gaza. There are whistles, everyone's clapping. Women come out cheering, throwing rice. And the Thais say, 'Oh, wow, what a reception. What are the work conditions here?' The first time in their lives that the Thais were respected – first time."

Thirty-one Thai nationals were taken hostage on October 7, according to the Thai government, while more than 40 were killed on the day of the attack.

The majority, 23, were released in November 2023 but eight remained in Gaza, of whom five were released on January 30. Of the remaining three, it is believed that two have since died. The fate of the third – Nattapong Pinta – is not known.

Similarly, while discussing the Hamas handover ceremonies, in which hostages were handed gift bags and certificates, Badarny said: “Today the whole world asks, 'What are these certificates of appreciation that Hamas gave to the female prisoners as they took them out of Gaza yesterday?'

"According to my analysis, how I saw the female Israeli captives released home in athletic clothes, it appears that those are certificates of completion for a course in Pilates.”

And of Israeli hostage Mia Leimberg, 17, who was released as part a Hamas-Israel ceasefire in November 2023, along with her dog Bella who was with her but went unnoticed by the terrorists, he said: "In his first declaration, the dog... said that his life was great in the tunnels in Gaza. He ate fresh beef and chicken daily, in contrast to his early life in the settlement of [Kibbutz] Be'eri."

Glick welcomed the comic's arrest, saying: "Nidal Baderny is not an artist, but an inciter who glorifies terrorism. We will continue to make sure that [Badarny] is in jail and that he is indicted. His place is in prison, not on public stages.”

However, the arrest has drawn criticism from some prominent Arab-Israelis, who accused authorities of “cracking down” on free expression.

Ahmad Tibi, a former deputy speaker of the Knesset who represents the Arab nationalist Ta’al Party said: “He didn’t call for burning Palestinians... nor did he use genocidal rhetoric... He simply made jokes – dark humour.

"His performances were blocked by the Israeli police, who fail to address the numerous murders happening but somehow find the time to crack down on an Arab comedian’s shows.

"Dark humour can be sharp or unsettling—that’s the nature of comedy. But when it comes to Arabs, it seems, the joke ends very quickly.”