Israeli Artist Placed Under House Arrest for Defecating on National Flag

Natali Cohen Vaxberg, the Israeli artist who made waves last summer when she shared a video of herself defecating on Israel’s national flag, has been placed under house arrest, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Cohen Vaxberg was detained for questioning last Sunday. She is confined to her residence in Tel Aviv and has been banned from using the Internet for 30 days, as a result of defiling a national symbol, a police spokeswoman said. She also said they are still deciding whether to press charges.

On July 18, a few days after Israel’s government launched its military incursion into Gaza, Cohen Vaxberg posted online her video Shit instead of blood. The video shows her squatting in a bathroom, defecating on several national flags—including those of Israel, Palestine, France, the US, and the UK—to a Frédéric Chopin soundtrack.

Cohen Vaxberg, who is described by Israeli media as holding extreme-left-wing views, sparked controversy earlier in 2014 with another video featuring herself, filmed at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem.

In that video, she took on the persona of the Holocaust, itself, and proclaimed: “I am the Holocaust, the best thing that ever happened to you!,” arguing that the Holocaust led to the creation of Israel and the persecution of Palestinians.

Natali Cohen Vaxberg, reciting her controversial monologue at Yad Vashem
Photo via: The Jerusalem Post