Gazans perform a Jean Claude Van Damme epic split to highlight fuel shortages

Parody of viral advertisement highlights shortages of fuel and electricity.

Video stills from the Tashwesh Comedy Troupe spoof of a Jean Claude Van Damme ad for Volvo show a man standing on two cars being pushed down a motorway by several other men. Courtesy Tashwesh Comedy TroupeShow less

GAZA CITY // Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have spoofed a viral online video featuring Jean Claude Van Damme to highlight their suffering.

In the original video, the Belgian martial artist-actor does a split between two Volvo semitrailers driving in reverse.

The advertisement, created to show the precision of Volvo steering, has drawn more than 60 million views on YouTube.

In the Gaza version, the camera focuses in on a Palestinian mirroring Van Damme’s solemn expression of concentration, as a voice-over talks of the tiny territory’s woes such as electricity and water cuts. “Still, Van Damme isn’t better than me,” the voice declares.

But, it adds, “unfortunately, there is no gas in town”.

The camera pulls back to reveal he is standing on two cars being pushed down a motorway by several other men. As the cars draw apart, he does a slight split.

Gaza has suffered from chronic fuel shortages since Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on the territory in response to the Hamas militant group’s seizure of power in 2007.

The situation has worsened since a coup in neighbouring Egypt last July. The country’s military rulers have tightened the blockade and destroyed smuggling tunnels used to ship cheap fuel into the territory. While the rival Palestinian government in the West Bank can send fuel to Gaza through Israel, Gaza’s Hamas rulers have refused to accept the shipments, saying they cannot afford a new tax. Israel delivered a shipment of fuel this week, paid for by Qatar.

Hamas has blamed fuel shortages on Egypt, the West Bank’s Fatah government and, most recently, flooding caused by severe storms in the area.

The Tashwesh group behind the video says they hope it will draw attention to Gaza’s ills.

* Associated Press