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by Nirit Anderman,
Israel Must Stop Lecturing Filmmakers and Let the Press Do Its Job in Gaza
As Israel’s culture minister lashed out against the documentary alleging Israeli mass killings in Gaza, top Israeli filmmakers supported the film: ‘The central role of art and journalism is to hold a mirror up to the society in which they exist’
Over a thousand Israeli filmmakers signed a petition on Monday expressing solidarity with Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Israeli creators of “NAZA,” an investigative documentary examining the civilian casualties of Israel’s military operations in Gaza and the systems behind targeted killings of Palestinians.
The petition, signed by prominent Israeli filmmakers including Ari Folman, Shlomi Elkabetz, Ran Tal and Michal Aviad, states that “in recent days, we have witnessed an unprecedented campaign of incitement and instigation against the film’s creators, and the distance between it and the incitement to violence and physical threat to their lives is shrinking.”
“We, filmmakers, call on all who are still fighting for freedom of expression and creation to join in expressing support and solidarity with Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham,” the petition states. “The central role of art and journalism is to hold a mirror up to the society in which they exist, to create discourse and discussion without assumptions, even when the reality is difficult.”
“NAZA,” which won the special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, is based on the testimonies of 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence personnel. Following the film’s recognition at the Venice festival, Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar appealed to the Interior Ministry to consider revoking the citizenship of the film’s creators and described the film as “vile” and saying it “constitutes treason.”
The Israeli military on Sunday denied an allegation in the film that the IDF had planned and approved a strike in Gaza in which 500 civilian deaths were expected, calling the claim “completely false.” A promotional clip for the film, which examines Israel’s use of artificial intelligence in targeting decisions and its role in civilian deaths, shows a purported Israeli intelligence soldier being asked about the largest number of expected civilian deaths ever approved for a strike in Gaza. “I don’t know how many were killed, because they never check this, but there was once an approval for 500,” the interviewee says.
The petition’s authors took issue with what they alleged was a practice of criticizing films without watching them.
“Regardless of the direct incitement we’ve encountered on social media against Abraham and Szor, we find it appropriate to strongly criticize those creators, academics and journalists who chose to attack the film without watching it. The participation of colleagues and respected writers in this trend is a clear sign of the deterioration of discourse in Israel and gives backing to Minister Zohar’s threats to revoke Szor and Abraham’s citizenship,” they said.
“We, too, have not yet watched the film. Criticism of films and works of art in general is a legitimate tool of expression in a society that seeks to be healthy and functional, but the inflammatory and violent discourse against the film’s creators, who dared to express their opinion, should concern each and every one of us, regardless of our views,” the petitioners added.
The petition expressed hope that “NAZA” would be distributed in Israel soon, “and everyone will be able to watch it, form their own opinion and create a real and initial discussion about the war in Gaza and its consequences – a discussion that until today has almost not taken place in Israeli media and society.”
Israel’s Documentary Forum and Directors Guild also issued similar statements over the weekend, condemning threats made against Szor and Abraham on social media.
The Israel Defense Forces opposed the film, saying it relies on anonymous testimonies from people whose identities cannot be verified, including whether they served in the IDF, in what capacity, or whether they were involved in the matters they describe. “The excerpts cited include claims regarding national and military strategy that are clearly beyond the knowledge of junior-level soldiers.” The IDF also said the film contains “references to situations in which IDF Intelligence Directorate soldiers, who were allegedly interviewed for the film, by definition could not have been involved.”
Source: https://www.haaretz.com
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