Even some Arab countries without diplomatic relations with Israel are hooked on the action-packed drama that shows the people behind the conflict.
Season 4 of Fauda debuted on January 27 on Netflix in 190 countries. Here are some stats showing just how popular it is.
Fauda is the No. 1 Netflix program in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. It ranks second in Qatar and is among the top 10 most-viewed Netflix shows in Turkey, Morocco, and Jordan.
Israel has no diplomatic relations with Lebanon or Qatar.
Other countries putting Fauda in the Netflix top 10 list include Romania, the Czech Republic, Greece, India, Italy, Poland, Holland, France, Kenya, and Sri Lanka as well as Hungary, where some of the season’s episodes were filmed.
In an interview with the UAE’s Khaleej Times in Tel Aviv, Fauda co-creator and star Lior Raz – whose father is from Iraq and mother is from Algeria) said, “the magic of the show was that it won people over from both sides of the conflict.”
Raz said many Israelis told him they felt empathetic toward Palestinians for the first time after watching the show, “the Palestinians told me that this is the first time that they are feeling compassionate towards the Israelis. So, I think everyone connected to this narrative but still they could see it from the other side too.”
Co-creator Avi Issacharoff told Army Radio that he hasn’t gotten used to the success of Fauda. “Even now in the fourth season, it still surprises me and Lior every time,” he said.