Asala Nasri's recent visit to Palestine raised many eyebrows in the entertainment world and media. The singer was the first ever Syrian to perform in Palestine since 1967. The performance was held in a small village near Bethlehem and was part of the “Layali Barak Suleiman” Festival.
But Asala's visit was interpreted as cooperating with Israel and a violation of Syrian laws. Syrian law states that any visitors to the occupied territory will be imprisoned for a period of 3-10 years.
Asala is known to be completely opposed to Bashar Al Assad's government and has openly spoken her mind about the ruthlessness of his regime that's killing the lives of innocent Syrians. A number of Syrian lawyers are gathering suitable documents to file a lawsuit against the star.
Now, weeks after the incident, the singer isn't scot free from criticism. Asala's brother and business manager Anas Nasri stated that his sister obtained her entry Visa into Palestine just like any other individual, adding that she had to go through Israeli checkpoints to enter the West Bank as well.
Anas argued that Asala isn't the only singer to perform in Palestine; stars like Egyptian singers Mohamed Mounir, Mohamed Fouad, Hani Shaker, Hussam Habib and Kuwaiti singer Abdallah Al Rowaished entered Palestine in the same way Asala did and none were accused of cooperating with Israel the same way his sister was.
While on her visit, Asala met with Palesitnian President Mahmoud Abbas and placed flowers on the tomb of the late President Yasser Arafat. Abbas was on Asala's side and stressed that it's essential for Arab artists to visit Palestine and perform there as well, in a bid to show their support for the Palestinian people and their cause.
