An Israeli Defence Force song-and-dance-troupe has run into a few snags with a performance scheduled in London. The show is to commemorate the founding of Israel. It has run into opposition from groups supportive of Palestinian rights.

The Bloomsbury theatre that hosts an annual family show run by the Zionist Federation, pulled out when it discovered the Israeli Defence Force troupe was on the bill. A spokesperson for the theatre said: "Obviously we couldn't have them perform here".

The ZF has moved the performance to another venue which it hasn't disclosed, claiming that they don't want the show disrupted by demonstrators. The poster on their website doesn't mention the IDF troupe, but a ZF spokesperson confirmed the troupe would be performing.

Dan Judelson, from Jews for Justice for Palestinians described the event involving an IDF troupe as "ghoulish and retrograde".

Judelson said:

The Zionist Federation, with their support for the occupation of Palestinian land, seem massively insensitive to the reactions of most people, who want an equitable settlement for Israelis and Palestinians alike and who will be appalled by the involvement of the IDF in such an event.

In his article in the Guardian Haroon Siddique notes that:

The IDF group was likened by the event organisers, the Zionist Federation, to the troupe portrayed in the 1970s BBC comedy It Ain't Half Hot Mum – but not everyone sees the funny side.

Human rights groups accused the IDF of committing war crimes during the three-week invasion of the Gaza Strip, which began in December – allegations denied by the Israeli government – and the army is the subject of a UN investigation.

Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding said: "This is akin to singing and dancing on the graves of the 400 Palestinian children that the IDF was responsible for killing in January... We should not be permitting a dance troupe from an army currently under a UN
investigation for possible war crimes to be coming to the United Kingdom. It is sick."