MovieChat Forums > Machssomim Discussion > A must see

A must see

posted 19 years ago by thanasaki_mtl
1 reply | jump to latest

Everyone should watch this, including every Jewish person. I understand these checkpoints are set up for security purposes, but the fact that Arabs have to go through this on a daily basis is horrible. For the most part the Isreali checkpoint officers depicted in this doc were relatively reasonable and were just, "doing their job". The comments of a few soldiers were disgusting and ignorant but most came off as human and were taking it all in stride, there were a couple of scenes actually that will make you laugh.

I could understand searches and the like (for weapons, which is the main reason for these checkpoints) but when families are not allowed to cross with their own children whether it's to visit family or to go to the hospital, I find it totally dehumanizing. The fact that you have to beg to these soldiers, just to go home is unbelievable. The hypocisy in that part of the world is dumbfounding, you would think that a people that were run out of Europe and were not wanted, only 60 years ago would have some sort of understanding. But it seems that different rules apply to different people.

The world does not see what ordinary innocent Palastinians have to go through on a daily basis at these checkpoints, we only see them on the evening news as evil "terrorists" when a few extremists kill an Israeli. CNN, FOX, etc... does not mention anything about these checkpoints and the ridicule these people face, day to day. N AMerican media covers what they wish to cover and keeps controls it's viewer with what they want them to see.

I hope more people will have the opportunity to see this doc, I doubt it will be airing anytime soon in the US but for those of you in Canada and with access to the Documentary Channel, I'm sure they will be repeating it throughout the week (last night was the premiere) and I'm sure CBC's The Passionate Eye will be airing it in the very near future.

http://www.documentarychannel.ca/details.asp?showID=779&typeID=3

Let's not forget this doc was filmed by an Israeli.

[–] canadamelody 12 years ago

Good review. One thing I want to say in response to the primary reviews people have written is the confusion of where these people are going. Only the section with bigoted horny Border Police was a checkpoint going into Israel to the otherside of the 1967 greenline. Most of the Palestinians in the doc are trying to get from one Palestinian location to another Palestinian location. For an Israeli soldier to tell a guy to lift up his shirt is nuts. The implication is a suicide bomber. But if a guy is going from Nablus to a village whats the point of that? If a soldier is scared for his own life then it is only because he is in a place he should not be sent to in the first place which then becomes the rationale for "lift up your shirt" the entire thing is a crazy self fulfilling cycle.