If you need convincing that “Fauda” should be your next binge-worthy Netflix offering, consider this: The series has become such a phenomenon, it’s beloved by both Israelis and Palestinians.
Written by Israeli veteran journalist Avi Issacharoff and the series’ lead actor, Lior Raz, the show centers around a team of “mistaravim,” Israeli commando soldiers who speak Arabic and operate undercover inside Palestinian territory. The high-octane drama — with both Arabic and Hebrew dialogue — tells opposite sides of the same story.
“We were shocked it made such a splash,” Raz, who is currently shooting the show’s second season in Israel, told TheWrap. “We thought, ‘Who in the U.S. would watch a show in Hebrew and Arabic?’”
Despite the language barrier, “Fauda” (chaos in Arabic), somehow managed to break out of the dark corners of Netflix’s foreign-language section and get noticed by both Hollywood heavy-hitters and New York Times TV critics. Dubbed “The Wire” of the West Bank, the show has been credited with blurring the Israeli-Palestinian divide and bringing some clarity to the disorder and confusion that has long enveloped the Middle East.
