OTHER VIEWS
From Lies To Fantasy At Israel's Expense
New York City
aradise Now is a brilliant
and powerful piece of
propaganda that has
already won the Blue Angel Award
for best European film at this
year's Berlin Film Festival and that
has also been sold to 45 countries,
including Israel. The film was
financed by Dutch, French and
German backers. The director,
Hany Abu-Assad, who has lived in
Holland for the last 20 years,
describes himself as a Palestinian
with an Israeli passport. •
I will grant Abu-Assad this: He
is an artist and a very good one.
He excels in nuance, subtlety,
irony, humor, character and
drama. Said (one of the suicide
bombers played by Kais Nashef) is
heartbreakingly soulful and inno-
p
on their explosive belts which the
killers themselves can never
remove.
Quietly, but clearly, Abu-Assad
shows us the enormously erotic
element involved in Palestinian
male bonding. He also shows us
the casual cruelty with which
older Palestinian men treat
younger Palestinian men and
boys. Most important, the film
does suggest one very powerful
motivation for becoming a suicide
killer. Said fulfills his mission,
Khaled turns back. Why this dif-
ference? Arab and Muslim society
is a shame and honor-based cul-
ture. Psychologically, Said feels
that he must cleanse his consider-
able shame: His father was execut-
ed as a collaborator by
Palestinians when Said was 10. He
- r ld has alma& been super-
indoctrinated against ant referred to
mtnaLive ana
g
favor of
the PaiPtinian
cent. Israelis are depersonalized
and utterly demonized. For most
of the film, we see Israelis only as
soldiers: ominous, hard-eyed, hel-
meted, armed or in tanks. The
film betrays no understanding
that there is more than one side to
this tragic story.
First, what the film does right:
The film takes place in a 48-hour
period in which two friends, Said
(not Edward, but the choice of
name is significant), and Khaled
(Ali Suliman), who work at dead-
end jobs in an auto repair shop,
are told that their suicide mission
will take place in Tel Aviv the next
day. We see them at work, at home,
relating to a woman, Suha, with
their recruiter (who is the local
schoolteacher) and with the ter-
rorists who video their prepared
speeches, feed, shave, dress and
embrace them — and then strap
"-2 November 24 2005
blames the occupation both for
his father's "weakness" and for his
own decision to become a mur-
derer. Said takes no personal
responsibility for what he does.
Khaled does not have such per-
sonal shame to expiate, nor does
Suha, who is the daughter of a
Palestinian hero. Both Khaled and
Suha say all the right things about
non-violent resistance, but our
hearts are with Said. who is the
film's tragic hero.
Ignoring Truth
As to the lies: Said decides not to
board a bus which is filled with
settlers because he suddenly expe-
riences sympathy or pity for the
toddler on board. In reality,
Palestinian suicide killers have
deliberately targeted Israeli civil-
ians, not soldiers.
be?), it is preposterous to suggest,
sacres and fake Jewish
Israeli soldiers repre-
as many critics have, that they
and Israeli killings of
sent about one-third of all
behave as German Nazis did.
Palestinian innocents
those killed by
Also omitted are the bloody
have already inflamed
Palestinian terrorists in
Israeli body parts, the screams,
most of the Arab and
this latest intifada. In the
the terror, the pain, the lifelong
Muslim world; the
last five years, nearly 800
disabilities, the collective Israeli
European and to some
Israeli civilians have been
agony. In fact, we do not get to see
extent the American
killed by Palestinian ter-
Dr Phylis
media has been inundat- Said blow up his bus of Israeli sol-
rorists and thousands
Chester
diers. We see him in a series of
ed with precisely this
have been maimed for
Special
close-ups — and then the screen
point of view.
life. And yes, it is true,
Commentary
goes white. Slowly, we understand
Israeli soldiers have also
that he has detonated his bomb.
killed Palestinian civilians
Slowly, the screen credits come up
but inadvertently in their
Film's Fantasy
in Arabic.
attempt to kill Palestinian terror-
Paradise Now is the first feature
Finally, the fantasy in the film is
ists who use their own people as
film on the subject by a
human shields. Palestinian civil-
Palestinian. Because this is a good calibrated to appeal to a Western
audience. Suha, the pacifist hero,
ians are never, ever the planned
film, it will have enormous ongo-
dresses like a fashionable
targets of Israeli operations; on
ing influence over hOw an already
European. She is a young and
the contrary.
heavily indoctrinated world audi-
attractive woman who lives alone,
Said, in his videoed Shahid
ence views the phenomenon of
drives her own car and who
(martyr for Allah) speech, claims
Palestinian suicide bombings.
allows Said to visit her in the mid-
that Israelis have rejected a two-
Indeed, perhaps the biggest lie
dle of the night. She makes him
state solution. This has been well
in this film is something the film
tea.
documented as a falsehood.
omits almost entirely: we do not
Really: Women are killed for far
Said also accuses Israel of hav-
get a clear sense of how filthy and
ing carried out "ethnic cleansing:'
continuous the hatred of Jews and less on the West Bank in honor
This, too, is untrue. "Ethnic
Israel really is among Palestinians, killings — yes, even in Nablus.
The presence of Suha (who shares
cleansing" is what the ethnic Arab
how brainwashed the impover-
Muslims are currently doing in
ished Palestinian population really the same first name with Mrs.
Arafat), suggests that the West
Darfur in the Sudan to African
is. And this hatred continues in
Muslims, animists and Christians; the film: a taxi driver, for instance, Bank is not all that different from
Paris or London, that Islamic gen-
what the Hutus did to the Tutsi in
accuses the Israelis of polluting
der apartheid does not exist. Were
Rwanda; what every single Arab
the drinking water with spermi-
Abu-Assad
to show it to us, it
Muslim country did to Jews par-
cides — not so different from
might
look
as
bloody as a suicide
ticularly post-1948; and what the
what Mrs. Arafat said when she
killing does.
Nazis also did to Jews in the
accused the Israelis of causing
The fact that this film, which is
European Holocaust.
cancer and fertility problems
based
on lies, is a success, both
However, had Israelis not settled among Palestinian women.
artistically
and commercially, is
these non-sovereign territories, it
One cannot deny that
extremely
troubling.
But, since
is a given that the same vicious
Palestinian daily life has been
Abu-Assad
is
a
good
filmmaker
and irrational jihad, the airplane
tragically interrupted by long lines
—
possibly
a
great
one
— will he
hijackings and continuous
at checkpoints, nor can one deny
ever
challenge
himself
to
"human-
intifadas would have been carried
that individual Israeli soldiers
ize"
some
Israelis,
dare
to
render
out against Jews in Jerusalem, Tel
sometimes capriciously and sadis-
them
sympathetic
to
both
an Arab
Aviv and Haifa.
tically refuse to allow those wait-
and
Western
audience?
Now
that
And yes, I know, Abu-Assad is
ing in lines, often for hours, to use
would
require
real
and
consider-
not Said. Said is only a fictional
the bathrooms. (They are forced to
able courage and artistry. ❑
character; he is entitled to his lim- relieve themselves in the fields, or
ited or distorted view of reality. In- by the side of the road). However,
Dr. Phyllis Chesler, an American
fact, this is exactly what a good
some of those in line, including
feminist and fighter against gen-
film is supposed to do isn't it? Get
women, are packing explosives.
der apartheid, is author of
us inside the heads of its charac-
The number of suicide killer
"Women and Madness" (1972)
ters without judging them, yes?
missions that Israel daily and vigi- and "The New Anti-Semitism"
Well, yes — but here's the prob- lantly intercepts is very high.
(2003) and the new "The Death
lem. The world has already been
of Feminism: What's Next in the
Some days, 10-20 attempts have
Struggle for Women's Freedom"
super-indoctrinated against what
been made. But Palestinian killers
is referred to as "the Israeli narra-
also get through. While Israeli sol- (Palgrave Macmillan). She is on
tive" and in favor of "the
diers can therefore be irritable and the Board of Scholars for Peace
in the Middle East.
Palestinian narrative:' Doctored
very, very jumpy (who wouldn't
film footage of fake Israeli mas-
39