Talk about singing for your supper.
Until recently, Israeli artists asked by their government to perform abroad were compelled to sign contracts that required them to re-pay the state if they spoke poorly of Israel during their trips.
Artists complained about a deal they dubbed the "Big Brother Contract."
"Which Foreign Ministry oversaw this crazy contract? The Soviet Union? Burma? Iran?" writer Meir Shilo wrote about the deal. "What if journalists or listeners ask questions about the Second Lebanon War? About illegal outposts? About shooting the bound prisoner in Nilin? ... What will I do then?"
After some thought, the Foreign Ministry has apparently stopped this practice.
Below is the full story from Yedioth Ahronoth:
The Foreign Ministry Cancels the Draconian Contract
The contract obligated Israelis performing outside the country to do PR for the country.
Israeli artists can relax: The Foreign Ministry has canceled contracts that obligated them to compensate the state if they embarrassed the country during their performances outside the country.
Israeli embassies sometimes receive requests from organizations outside the country to bring over Israeli artists to perform or lecture.
The Foreign Ministry responds positively because often the artists help improve Israel's image in the world. Because of this, the ministry helps defray flight and lodging costs. But in the course of these performances, artists have used these performances several times to attack Israeli policies.
Because of this, several years ago the Foreign Ministry started signing artists going abroad to a Draconian contract.
In the contract it states that, during the performances outside the country, the performer will work to advance the interests of the State of Israel and, if not, will compensate the state for any damage caused.
The contract was dubbed “The Big Brother Contract” by some performers.
Some artists who had been requested to perform by the Foreign Ministry refused to sign the contract and their trips were canceled - or the artists canceled them themselves.
One of the artists who canceled their appearance because of the “Big Brother Contract” was author Meir Shiloh, who had been invited to the Moscow Book Festival.
In his weekly column, which appears in Friday's Yedioth Ahronoth magazine, he wrote to Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni: “ The eyes read, the mind ridicules, but the heart shrinks and is horrified. Which Foreign Ministry oversaw this crazy contract? The Soviet Union? Burma? Iran?... What if journalists or listeners ask questions about the Second Lebanon War? About illegal outposts? About shooting the bound prisoner in Nilin? And because the festival was organized in Germany (sic) they are likely to ask about how the Israeli government treats Holocaust survivors. What will I do then? Deny?"
In addition, the author A.B. Yehoshua asked the Deputy Director of the Cultural and Scientific Affairs department, Arye Mekel, to consider canceling these contracts.
As noted above, Mekel agreed.
(Translated by McClatchy special correspondent Cliff Churgin)
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