Israel TV host apologises for mocking Palestinian Bedouin children

An Israeli children’s TV host apologised following a clip he recorded in which he humiliates Palestinian Bedouin children, treating them like animals by repeatedly asking his children, “Who wants to feed a Bedouin?”.

The video spread on music app TikTok sparking outrage within the Palestinian society.

It shows Ro’i Oz, popularly known as Roy Boy, stopping his car besides two Palestinian Bedouin children in the Negev desert inside the Green Line. He waves a cookie at two Palestinian Bedouin children while asking his son: “Ariel, do you want to feed a Bedouin?”

“Let’s feed a Bedouin. Don’t you want to feed a Bedouin?” he repeatedly says to his children who are sitting on the backseat of the vehicle, then proceeds to throw a biscuit at the two children while continuing to taunt them, his wife also joins and chucks a tiny piece at the Palestinians.

This is so hurtful, so demeaning–racism laid bare without any critical distance. Stop it, just stop it! Those innocent children are being publicly abused. https://t.co/ti36vImftK

— Hanan Ashrawi (@DrHananAshrawi) July 11, 2020

https://twitter.com/VPalestineT/status/1282246755170615299

According to the Hebrew newspaper Maariv, Ro’i Oz, who has made numerous children’s television shows and films, mostly focused on nature, took to Facebook on Saturday night

to apologise for filming the video, which he said dates back five years, during a family trip with his children and wife.

“I would like to express my deep regret for the comments [in the video]. They were wrong. I do not educate my children in such a manner and no child should be educated in such a manner,” he said.

“My way is one of love for my fellow man and I will continue on that path. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart and ask forgiveness from anyone who was hurt.”

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Atia Al-Asem, head of the Regional Council of Palestinian Villages in the Negev, criticised the shocking footage, adding that the Bedouin children were being treated like “monkeys”.

Ahmad Tibi, deputy in the Israeli Knesset’s Joint List, called Oz’s behavior “The lowest of human behaviour, racist and despicable brutishness.”

In addition, the Junior Channel said Sunday it would halt filming of the next season of “Roy Boy” as a result of the video, reported the Times of Israel.

“Behavior of this type is completely unacceptable to the channel,” a spokesperson for the network said in a statement.

While acknowledging Oz’s apology, the statement said he would meet with the network’s management in the coming days to discuss “the future of cooperation” between them.