Israeli cinema has produced quit a few remarkably courageous movies in the last few years - "Waltz with Bashir", "Lebanon", "Defamation", and now this one ("Five Broken Cameras" is also partly an Israeli movie). It's not easy to ask tough questions about some policies and deeds of your country, but thankfully, it seems there are quite a few Israeli filmmakers ready to do that.
It's quite a sound of alarm for politicians when former high up security officials accuse a total lack of direction and political leadership (no "wise old man" at the top), no strategy for the "Palestinian question"; it's also remarkable how most of them point out that winning the war is futile without a political settlement - especially when somebody that had no gripes to order the murder of 2 Palestinian terrorists in Shin Bet custody says it. Too bad I hear the Israeli prime minister has already said he will not see the movie - probably to prove the points these guys were trying to make about the failure of politicians' leadership (or lack thereof) :).
Ami Ayalon seems the most poignant critic of all the six, while it might only be my mistaken impression, but Avi Dichter (the 2000-2005 guy) was the least critical. It should probably be no surprise that the former was the first to be contacted, the first to accept and the one who helped get the others on board as well.
With such a broad subject, it's hard to decide what to discuss and what to leave out. I think the case of the Israeli terrorists that wanted to bomb the Haram was quite shocking - especially when you think that Palestinians are regularly thrown in jail for many years for the same kind of offenses, while these guys got our quickly and got to be interviewed on TV and say they regret nothing. I also didn't see those guys blindfolded and handcuffed. Talk about double standards.
On the other hand, I was a bit puzzled about the film's short, passing reference to Lebanon, only to mention that the same kind of tactics as in the Occupied Territories were used. I would've left Lebanon out completely (since the movie is mostly about Israelis and Palestinians), or maybe mentioned how different the security situation in Lebanon was - that's possibly the only war that Israel lost. At least according to Robert Fisk, the fierce resistance that the Lebanese put up inspired the First Intifada.
All in all, a very good movie that should also be interesting for people who don't care too much about the Middle East or Israel/Palestine (all the more rewarding to those who are interested, of course). A good lesson about the futility of security, which simply can't replace good politics. Very useful in an age of scaremongering.
It's quite a sound of alarm for politicians when former high up security officials accuse a total lack of direction and political leadership (no "wise old man" at the top), no strategy for the "Palestinian question"; it's also remarkable how most of them point out that winning the war is futile without a political settlement - especially when somebody that had no gripes to order the murder of 2 Palestinian terrorists in Shin Bet custody says it. Too bad I hear the Israeli prime minister has already said he will not see the movie - probably to prove the points these guys were trying to make about the failure of politicians' leadership (or lack thereof) :).
Ami Ayalon seems the most poignant critic of all the six, while it might only be my mistaken impression, but Avi Dichter (the 2000-2005 guy) was the least critical. It should probably be no surprise that the former was the first to be contacted, the first to accept and the one who helped get the others on board as well.
With such a broad subject, it's hard to decide what to discuss and what to leave out. I think the case of the Israeli terrorists that wanted to bomb the Haram was quite shocking - especially when you think that Palestinians are regularly thrown in jail for many years for the same kind of offenses, while these guys got our quickly and got to be interviewed on TV and say they regret nothing. I also didn't see those guys blindfolded and handcuffed. Talk about double standards.
On the other hand, I was a bit puzzled about the film's short, passing reference to Lebanon, only to mention that the same kind of tactics as in the Occupied Territories were used. I would've left Lebanon out completely (since the movie is mostly about Israelis and Palestinians), or maybe mentioned how different the security situation in Lebanon was - that's possibly the only war that Israel lost. At least according to Robert Fisk, the fierce resistance that the Lebanese put up inspired the First Intifada.
All in all, a very good movie that should also be interesting for people who don't care too much about the Middle East or Israel/Palestine (all the more rewarding to those who are interested, of course). A good lesson about the futility of security, which simply can't replace good politics. Very useful in an age of scaremongering.