Fauda

''Fauda'' (, from ''fawḍā'', meaning "chaos" or "mess") is an Israeli television series developed by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff drawing on their experiences in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It tells the story of Doron, a commander in the Mista'arvim unit and his team; in the first season, they pursue a Hamas arch-terrorist known as "The Panther". Internationally, the series is streamed by Netflix.

The first season was filmed in Kafr Qasim during the 2014 Gaza War, and premiered on 15 February 2015. The second season premiered on 31 December 2017. The third season takes place in the Gaza Strip and aired in 2019 and 2020. A fourth season aired in early 2023.

Plot

Season 1

Eighteen months prior to the start of the show, the Israeli soldier Doron and his unit were credited with killing the terrorist Taufiq Hammed. Following this, Doron retires from service in order to grow a vineyard. At the beginning of season 1 Doron is visited by Moreno, the commander of his old unit, who informs him that Taufiq Hammed is still alive and plans to attend his brother Bashir's wedding. Doron rejoins his team in order to go undercover at the wedding. Ultimately they are exposed and Bashir is killed, moments before Taufiq is to arrive. Although Doron is able to shoot Taufiq, and injures him, Taufiq escapes.

Taufiq barely survives the gunshot wound and is forced to have secret emergency surgery so as to not reveal that he is alive or where he is. Doron convinces Moreno to allow him to stay on with the unit until they catch Taufiq. Bashir's family all mourn him as a shahid (martyr) and his wife, Amal, vows revenge. Taufiq's right-hand man, Walid, convinces his cousin Shirin to help Taufiq escape from the hospital minutes before Doron's team arrives.

Amal, distraught over Bashir's death, volunteers to bomb a nightclub which Boaz, Doron's brother-in-law and a member of his unit, frequents. This will ensure that the Israelis get the message that it is revenge on Boaz for the killing of Bashir. The plan is for Amal to arm the bomb in her purse and then leave the club three minutes before its detonation. However, Amal decides to stay and die in the explosion. Boaz regains consciousness following the blast and finds his girlfriend's body. Boaz does not handle the discovery well, and after getting pulled over, physically assaults the police and ends up in jail.

While on a mission, Boaz gets captured and is held hostage by Hamas. Doron and his team decide to prepare an unapproved mission to kidnap Taufiq's friend Sheikh Awadalla in an attempt to get Boaz back. When Doron finds out that Taufiq had a bomb implanted inside of Boaz, the team kidnap Taufiq's daughter to use as additional leverage. Ultimately Boaz and the Sheikh both get blown up, and Taufiq's daughter gets badly injured.

Doron, still undercover, interviews for a position to be a shahid for Taufiq, a role which he ultimately gets recruited for. Taufiq reveals his plan to Walid: they received sarin nerve gas that will be detonated in the synagogue, which will cause Israel to retaliate with force, committing war crimes and forcing other Islamic states to respond. Walid eventually discovers Doron's true identity and orders Doron to be killed, however the rest of the unit shows up just in time to kill everyone who was watching him. Walid shows the proof to Taufiq and then shoots him in the back of the head.

Season 2

After Walid kills Taufiq at the end of the last episode of the first season, he becomes "the head of the military wing of Hamas in the West Bank". But the main character in the season is Nidal Awadallah (also known as "Abu Seif al-Maqdisi"), the son of the Sheikh who was killed in the first season, and an operative in the Islamic State organization who returned from Syria and wants to take revenge on Doron for killing his father.

In this season, the fight is more personal, between Doron and Nidal, and focuses a lot on their attempts to hurt each other's family.

Season 3

Season 4

Characters

Main

Doron Kabilio

Portrayed by Lior Raz. Doron is married to Gali, and has a son, Ido, and a daughter, Noga. Doron, after leaving the army, lives on a farm and grows grapes in order to make his own wine. Having been previously credited with killing Abu Ahmad, he rejoins his old Israel Defense Force (IDF) unit 18 months later, after intelligence discovered that Abu Ahmad was still alive.

Taufiq Hammed

Portrayed by Hisham Sulliman. Taufiq is commonly referred to as Abu Ahmad, and is nicknamed "The Panther". He is married to Nassrin and had a son (Ahmad) and a daughter (Abir). Taufiq had been trained by Ali Karmi, since he was a kid, and considers him a father; however, he ordered Ali to be killed when Ali turned his back on him and gave information over to Israel in exchange for surgery for his daughter.

Walid Al Abed

Portrayed by Shadi Mar'i. As of season 1, Walid is 20 years old. He is a trusted member of Taufiq's team, and one of the few who knows the truth about him being alive after his funeral. Taufiq views Walid like a son to him, and eventually Taufiq wants Walid to replace him. However, Walid eventually winds up killing Taufiq, shooting him in the head from behind. After shooting him, Walid cries and kisses Taufiq.

Dr. Shirin Al Abed

Portrayed by Laëtitia Eïdo. Shirin is 32 years old as of season 1, and a cousin of Walid. Her mother is from Nablus, her father is from Paris. She volunteered with Doctors Without Borders in 2006. She studied medicine at An-Najah National University, and works in the emergency room of Rafidia Surgery Hospital. She is a widow who was originally married at age 23 to a chemist, named Naji, who died four years later from multiple sclerosis. She spent more of her life in Paris than in Israel, and left Paris after Naji died to be closer to her mother.

Captain Ayub (Gabi)

Portrayed by Itzik Cohen. He has been divorced twice, and lives by himself. He has five kids, with the youngest son being named Nadav, and has another son named Yiftah. Gabi's favorite time of the year is when his family goes to the desert on vacation and he has no mode of communication with those who are not with him. He develops a respectful and affectionate relationship with Abu Maher, the head of Palestinian Preventive Security.

Mickey Moreno

Portrayed by Yuval Segal, commander of Doron's former unit, who pulled him back in. He is romantically involved with Nurit. Following the issues which followed Boaz's capture, Moreno met with Gideon Avital in order to tell him his future plans for the unit, only to be told he was being let go, with the unit being disbanded. Moreno ultimately blackmails Avital into giving him his unit back, lest he will reveal to the press that the two of them had shot five prisoners in the head in Gaza years ago.

Gali Kabilio

Portrayed by Netta Garti. Gali is Doron's wife, and Boaz's older sister. She is very unhappy with their life and wishes she could move outside of Israel.

Gali is having an affair with a member of Doron's unit, Naor, and says she is no longer in love with Doron. Her son eventually finds out about the affair while listening in on their phone conversation, and later sees them kissing on the couch from upstairs. Ido eventually pulls Naor's gun on him stating that his father is not there because of him. Gali later tells Doron that he stopped fighting for her years ago, and she was afraid of him.

Nassrin Hamed

Portrayed by Hanan Hillo. Nassrin is the wife of Taufiq, and her mother is Hafida. Nassrin grew up in Germany.

Boaz

Portrayed by Tomer Kapon. Boaz is fluent in Arabic, and is a member of Doron's unit. As a cover he states he works with Arabs in the Ministry of Defense. He is Gali's younger brother.

Although Boaz survives a bombing of the nightclub he frequents, his girlfriend, Daria, does not. Unable to cope with the loss of Daria, Boaz drunkenly destroys his apartment, then gets arrested while driving his motorcycle, and then beats up the cop. Following this, Boaz has trouble maintaining his temper and coping with day-to-day life, and always wears Daria's necklace.

Although Doron wants to keep Boaz out of the field while he recovers, Moreno insists he returns to the field, where he ultimately gets captured on his first mission back. While being questioned by Walid, Boaz states his name is Mohammad Abu Snina from Surda, who works for the Intelligence Agency, and provides documentation to support his story. When questioned by Taufiq, Boaz is able to convince him that his story is legitimate, but is ultimately discovered when Taufiq recognizes his tattoo as the man who shot Bashir. While captured, following surgery, Taufiq tells Boaz he took his kidney in order to give it to Ali Karmi's daughter, only to later find out they implanted a bomb. Despite Doron's best efforts Taufiq eventually gives the order to explode the bomb inside Boaz, killing him.

Naor

Portrayed by Tzachi Halevy. Naor is a member of Doron unit. He has been having an affair with Doron's wife for over a year. When Gali mentions she is ready to leave Doron for him, he tells her to wait, because the situation is complicated with Doron back in the unit. Following the issues which followed Boaz's capture, Moreno intended to make Naor team leader, before Moreno was also told the unit would be disbanded.

Nurit

Portrayed by Rona-Lee Shimon, Nurit is the sole female member of Doron's unit. She is romantically involved with Moreno. She is dour and rarely smiles. Initially a staff member, she becomes an active member of the team, acting undercover.

Avihai

Portrayed by Boaz Konforty. Avihai is a member of Doron's unit, he has a wife and one son (Guy). Avihai considers himself to be an attack dog, always be ready to jump right into action without emotion. Following the issues which followed Boaz's capture, Moreno informed Avihai that he was being discharged, before Moreno was also told the unit would be disbanded.

Steve Pinto

Portrayed by Doron Ben-David. Steve is a member of Doron's unit. Although he goes by Steve, his birth name is Hertzel. Steve has a crush on Nurit, and attempts to kiss her while staking out Abir. Following the issues which followed Boaz's capture, Moreno informed Steve that he was being discharged, before Moreno was told the unit would be disbanded. Steve later brings Doron to Boaz's grave, where he cries while reciting Kaddish.

Abu Maher

Portrayed by Qader Harini. Abu Maher is the head of the Palestinian Preventive Security. Abu Maher is reconciled to peace and coexistence, and therefore willing to cooperate with the Israelis to combat Islamist terror. Ayub and Abu Maher share intelligence to figure out how to best their common foe, be it Hamas or ISIS.

Recurring

* Ido Kabilio portrayed by Mel Malka, son of Doron and Gali. Ido, eventually finds out about the affair his mother is having with Naor, while listening in on a phone conversation, and later sees them kissing on the couch from upstairs. Ido eventually pulls Naor's gun on him stating that his father is not there because of him. After Doron stops him, Ido states that he should have killed him.
* Jihan Hamed portrayed by Khawlah Hag-Debsy
* Sheikh Awadalla portrayed by Salim Dau, is a spiritual leader and a close and trusted friend of Taufiq. When Taufiq wants to exchange Boaz for Hamas members imprisoned by Israel, Sheikh is the man he wants to run negotiations with Egypt. After Taufiq gives the order to detonate the bomb inside Boaz, Doron orders the bomb vest strapped to Sheikh to be detonated as well, killing him.
* Gideon Avital portrayed by Uri Gavriel, is the Minister of Defense. While in Gaza with Moreno, years prior to entering politics, they shot five prisoners in the head.

Distribution

In the summer of 2016, the satellite network yes officially picked up season 2 of the show, stating it will focus more on real world events. During the fall of 2017 the initial trailer was released, and the official premier date was later announced to be 31 December. A few weeks prior to the airing of season 2, ''Fauda'' was renewed for a third season, to air in 2019.

The series is distributed by the online streaming service Netflix, billed as a Netflix original program, and premiered on 2 December 2016. Season 2 was added to Netflix in May 2018.

Episodes

Summary

Season 1

Season 2

Reception

Accolades

In 2016, the show took six awards, including Best Drama Series, at the Israeli Academy Awards. In December 2017, ''The New York Times'' voted ''Fauda'' among the best international shows of 2017. In 2018, the show took 11 Israeli TV Academy Awards, including best TV drama, best actor for Lior Raz and also best screenplay, casting, cinematography, recording, special effects and in other categories.

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes indicated that 100% of reviews were favourable for all three seasons. In a piece for ''The Guardian'', film producer Trudie Styler found the series to be "an electric and fantastically acted drama", adding that " hemoral context is complex and provides more fodder for dinner-table discussions."

Tablet magazine notes that both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian critics complain that the show is biased against their points of view, an indication that it is evenhanded. Writer Josef Joffe notes:

To begin, the protagonists look, walk, dress and speak the same, with Palestinians and Israeli switching smoothly from Hebrew to Arabic, and vice versa. Their common bond are those classic Arabic swear words centering on the sexual depravity of one’s mother. It doesn’t require a subtle mind to get the subtext: Look how alike we are.

Nor does Fauda squelch the voices of the Palestinian. They keep articulating their grievances and their claims to justice. They love their children, and they cry over their fallen. No black and white hats here. The Jews defend their homeland; the Arab kill because they want one. Both sides believe they are in the right, though the Hamas types also invoke Allah. Both feast and fornicate. They have families and rebellious sons. In-group power struggles keep overwhelming the existential national conflict. They go after each other as they plot their next attack on the enemy.

Criticism

Various pro-Palestinian groups have labeled ''Fauda'' as an "Israeli propaganda". Rachel Shabi, writing in ''The Guardian'', criticised the show for its politics and its "relentless machismo". According to Yasmeen Serhan of ''The Atlantic'', "Viewers who are hungry for a Palestinian perspective on the conflict would do well to urge Netflix to commission a Palestinian-created series, because ''Fauda'' will probably prove a disappointment." George Zeidan of Right to Movement Palestine, was more direct; in ''Haaretz'', he wrote "The Middle East is already bursting with disinformation, insinuations and dangerous propaganda: there's no need for yet more. Fauda can do better." An article by Yara Hawari in Al Jazeera about the "latest surge of programmes focusing on Israel and trying to show it as a force for good" gave the opinion that "although not as crude as classic Orientalist cinema and TV, these programmes are no less racist and perhaps even more dangerous in their subtlety and slick presentation." Reviewers have described it as " shooting and crying".

Pro-Israeli critics also panned the show as depicting Israelis in a bad light. In Tablet Magazine, Alter Yisrael Shimon Feuerman states:

Doron, then, isn’t a new Zionist hero negating the old nebbishy Jewish stereotypes. He’s merely a curious new form of the Jew as schlemiel, only this time with the powerful fisticuffs and a high-powered rifle.
He is, in short, the kind of character my mother warned me against when I watched Hogan’s Heroes, a buffoon who turns a painful and serious and all-too-real conflict into a bit of entertainment.

Indian adaptation

In November 2019, content studio Applause Entertainment (promoted by Aditya Birla Group) announced an Indian adaptation of ''Fauda'', which would depict the relationship between India and Pakistan. '' Tanaav'', the Indian adaptation, premiered on SonyLIV on 11 November 2022.

2023 war

Series production manager Matan Meir, a reservist in the IDF, was killed by a bomb trap in a Hamas tunnel in the Gaza Strip on 11 November 2023, while deployed during the Gaza war.

See also

*''Bethlehem''
* ''Hostages'' (Israeli TV series)
*Television in Israel
* ''Prisoners of War''

Notes

References

External links

* {{IMDb title

2015 Israeli television series debuts
Israeli drama television series
Israeli action television series
Shin Bet in fiction
Yes (Israel) original programming
Israeli thriller television series
Espionage television series
Fiction about Islam
Israeli military television series
Serial drama television series
Television shows about terrorism
Israeli spy television series
Arabic-language television shows
Hebrew-language television series
Multilingual television series