This paper shall examine the political and ethical implications of the use of children on the Palestinian theatrical/political stage. Based on my PhD fieldwork in the West Bank during 2011-12, I will analyse theatrical productions performed by, with, and for Palestinian young people living in refugee camps.

I argue that the Oslo ‘peace’ Accords of the 1990’s led to the creation and entrenchment of the supposedly ‘apolitical’ international humanitarian regime in the West Bank. This led to the professionalisation and ‘NGO-isation’ of indigenous theatre companies, with a focus on reaching international audiences in addition to local ones. However, funding determinants from donor agencies have resulted in competing agendas and the marginalisation of Palestinian companies deemed to be working ‘against the grain’. From the Second Intifada (2000-05) onwards, theatre companies have used child ‘actors’ on the theatrical/political stage to raise awareness and garner sympathies for the Palestinian cause on a global scale. This practice shall be scrutinised in terms of the rights of the child, especially for those refugee children living under seemingly unending military occupation.