Thursday, January 08, 2009

Occupation 101: Voice of the Silenced Majority



After staying up until midnight writing, I then stayed up longer and watched this film (so tired). Occupation 101 is a amazing summary of the forces behind the conflict between the Palestinian people and the modern state of Israel. I found it a thought provoking and surprisingly balanced account of the situation. One thing that shone through for me was the post-colonial/colonial realities of what is going on in the occupied territories. This is not an ancient struggle, it is an occupation based on power. I have been thinking a lot about this film since I saw it. Maybe you will too.

Occupation 101: Voice of the Silenced Majority is a 2006 documentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict directed by Sufyan Omeish and Abdallah Omeish, and narrated by If Americans Knew founder Alison Weir. The film focuses on the reality and the effects of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and discusses events from the rise of Zionism to the Second Intifada and Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, and presents its case through dozens of interviews. It questions the nature of Israeli-American relations. Specifically, it questions the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and whether Americans should help pay for it.[1] Occupation 101 includes interviews with mostly American and Israeli scholars, religious leaders, humanitarian workers, and NGO's critical of the injustices and human rights abuses that stem from Israeli policy in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza Strip.

Wikipedia

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