Palestine's 'Red Prince' star of new TV drama
A new TV series in Palestine offers insight into the controversial figure of Abu Hassan Salameh, Yasser Arafat's right-hand man and a possible back channel with the Americans.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — A new TV series will take up the complex political and private life of Palestine Liberation Organization's "Red Prince” Abu Hassan Salameh, who was assassinated by Israel with a 1979 car bomb in Beirut.
“The Red Prince” was a nickname given by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir to Salameh, the smooth and well-educated son of Sheik Hassan Salameh, who died in 1948 fighting the emergence of Israel. Producer Sadek Sabbah said that he considered Salameh to be one of the most charismatic figures among the Arab militants that have fought for Palestinian liberation.
It will be the first TV series to tell the story of a top Palestinian leader. Previous cinema productions centered on less central figures such as “Naji al-Ali,” a 1990 film on the life of Palestinian cartoonist Naji al-Ali who was assassinated in London.
In the series written by Hassan Sami Youssef and directed by Samer Barqawi, Salameh will be portrayed by Syrian actor Taim Hasan, known for his interpretation of Syrian poet and diplomat Nizar Qabbani and King Farouk of Egypt.
