Tag Archives: Arab

Ariel [1988)

The CIA carried out the attacks in Moscow by training Ukrainians and blaming the attacks on what is now a CIA proxy army:  ISIS.

That is my gut feeling.

Cui bono?

Look at Syria.

Syria has been in an ongoing civil war since at least mid-2012.

12+ years.

Who are the combatants?

On the one side, you have the Syrian Armed Forces under the control of Bashar al-Assad.

Allied with Syria in this civil war are Iran and Russia.

On the other side, you have such parties as the United States of America, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.

So it is PLAUSIBLE that ISIS would want to attack Russia.

This “plausible deniability” is the essential coin in trade of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The USA ostensibly fought ISIS in Syria from 2014-2017.

The following year, the U.S. fought against “pro-government forces” (which is to say, against the government of Syria).

The USA provided “armament support” for the “Syrian National Army” from 2011 (before the civil war even began) till 2017.

The SNA was not even “officially established” until 2017.

The SNA, also with the notable help of Turkey, fights against the Bashar al-Assad government (and military) in Syria.

So you see NATO (USA and Turkey) meddling in Syria.

And you also see how the USA appears to have perhaps PRECIPITATED (or at least added fuel to a burning fire) by funding the SNA even before the civil war was started in earnest.

Also fighting in the Syrian Civil War are the “Syrian Democratic Forces” (of north and east Syria).

The United States CONTINUES to support this particular prong of the Syrian Civil War.

This particular support appears to have begun in 2017.

Then you have that really gnarly third prong of the anti-Assad forces:  the Salafi Jihadists.

Here you will find Al-Qaeda, ISIS, etc.

I will leave it to those more savvy than myself to find USA/CIA direct material assistance to Al-Qaeda and ISIS, but any way you slice it:

ISIS and the USA are on the SAME SIDE in the Syrian Civil War.

Now…why would the CIA “burn” one of its assets (ISIS) by using them as a “fall guy” in a false-flag terror attack in Moscow?

Well, for starters:  that’s the nature of what the CIA does.

To say the CIA is unscrupulous would not even begin to scratch the surface.

Perhaps ISIS has worn out its usefulness for the CIA?

Perhaps the USA/CIA knows that the Syrian Civil War cannot be won by any of the aforementioned prongs and will, instead, be won by the government of Syria (Bashar al-Assad) with the assistance of Iran and Russia.

The CIA would have no qualms about “throwing ISIS under the bus” (so to speak).

Cui bono?

Next you have to look at Yemen.

You have seen the Houthis in the news.

How they are these horrible people for attacking ships in the Red Sea.

I agree that it is not optimal.

But the Houthis of northern Yemen have made up their minds.

What is most important to them is the protection of women and children in Gaza.

No other nation on Earth has really taken any tangible, meaningful step in confronting Israel’s gross slaughter of Arabs in the Gaza Strip except for Yemen (the Houthis).

I don’t approve of terrorism.

I don’t condone terrorism.

But what is it that Israel is doing in Gaza?

Let’s get a perspective on what Israel is doing in Gaza.

In response to the terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7th, Israel has launched (and continues to wage) a war against Gaza.

How many Israelis have been affected?

Israeli citizens killed:  819

Israeli soldiers killed:  667

Israelis kidnapped:  253

Total:  1,739

How many Arabs in Gaza (Palestinians) have been affected?

Palestinian people killed:  32,142

Israel has killed 30 times more people that it lost on October 7th.

There were 1,143 Israelis killed on October 7th.

Israel has, in response, killed 32,142 Palestinians (so far).

Yemen is not ok with this.

Yemen’s solution?

To try and cut the supply lines of Israel.

If I remember correctly, Yemen (the Houthis) declared war on Israel not long after Palestinian casualties started piling up in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis control the capital of Yemen (Sanaa) even though they do not control the southern half of Yemen.

Who controls south Yemen (aside from the internationally-recognized “Republic of Yemen”)?

You guessed it:  ISIS.

Need proof?

Need references?

Do yourself a favor and watch the PBS Frontline episode “The Fight for Yemen” (Season 33).

And while you’re at it, also watch  the two episodes of “Bitter Rivals:  Iran and Saudi Arabia” from Season 36 of PBS Frontline.

[these episodes can be found on iTunes]

It becomes more and more apparent that ISIS is a CIA “Swiss-Army knife”–a proxy army.

We often hear of Iran as being a “state sponsor of terrorism”.

We hear of Iran’s “proxy armies” such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis (HHH).

What, then, is ISIS?

Hezbollah fights on the side of THE SYRIAN GOVERNMENT (Assad) in Syria.

Which is to say, Hezbollah hates ISIS.

And the Houthis hate ISIS.

They are not on the same side.

What is going on in Yemen?

The USA and the UK are acting as a combined military force on behalf of Israel (by repeatedly bombing Yemen).

The “plausible deniability” here is that the US/UK are “just protecting shipping” in the Red Sea.

The problem with that is that the U.S. military (specifically the U.S. Air Force) has been on the ground in Israel during this entire “war” (genocide/ethnic cleansing/war crime) in a support role for Israeli bombing of Gaza.

[hence the disgust felt by honorable airman deceased Aaron Bushnell who burned himself alive in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. some time back]

Regardless of the specifics of how/where/when the USA has materially-supported the GENOCIDE/ETHNIC CLEANSING/WAR CRIMES of Israel in Gaza (it is indisputable that Joe Biden and the USA have continued to supply copious amounts of weaponry to Israel throughout this “war” [slaughter]), the U.S has not done what Yemen has done.

What Yemen is doing in the Red Sea may be wrong.

And what Israel is doing in Gaza is likely worse.

How many people have been killed by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea?

Three???

The USA and ISIS fight against Syria.

The USA and ISIS fight against Yemen.

[are you seeing this pattern?]

If we are to be utterly-naive, we would have to reckon this a HUGE coincidence…that the USA and ISIS just happen to keep showing up on the same side of conflicts.

If we knew a little more about history (which we do [see the Mujaheddin in Afghanistan {1979-1989} and its successor Al-Qaeda]), we would have to wonder whether the United States now effectively controls ISIS as a tool for attempted regime change.

Where the USA cannot expediently (conveniently) use American troops to achieve foreign policy directives, is the USA instead employing the services of ISIS?

Perhaps the main way of “employing” an army is to supply them.

Does the USA ever “accidentally” supply ISIS in Syria?

Does the USA ever purposefully supply ISIS in Syria (in the hopes of toppling Assad)?

And isn’t it convenient for the USA to be providing airstrikes on behalf of ISIS in Yemen.

The USA and ISIS just keep ending up on the same side.

Which is why it would not surprise me if the body cam footage from the Moscow terror attack came from Ukrainian (CIA-trained) assets, passed through the hands of the CIA, and then was passed on to ISIS.

Whereby ISIS could then “claim responsibility”.

Hell, we’re already helping ISIS in Syria and Yemen…maybe they owe us one?

“Here, guys.  Take the blame for this and we’ll get you a bunch more Toyota pickups with .50 cals mounted on the back.  Thanks in advance!”

Whatever the case may be, the ISIS “eager claim of authorship” for the Moscow terror attacks STINKS of CIA involvement.

And the REAL initial reports out of Russia are that the perpetrators were not Arabs.

Nor even Muslims.

But Ukrainians.

Cui bono?

Perhaps you are more of an audio learner.

Here, have this rock and roll refresher course on exactly what the CIA and Ukraine have to do with one another:

https://open.spotify.com/album/11Wzm0XHozgjD5Zfz45Sv7?si=8YMsQte9TmudP8TtDgq9BQ

There are definite connections.

It is not debatable to say that the United States is supplying (and has supplied) MASSIVE amounts of weaponry to Ukraine in what is, truthfully, a civil war there.

The USA is supporting the central governent.

Fine.

But what if the territories that seceded (Donetsk and Lugansk) had good reason to secede?

It is also not debatable that Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt were plotting the ouster/replacement of the Russian-friendly Ukrainian government back around the time of the Euromaidan protests.

The Russian-speaking, Russian-majority areas of Ukraine (Lugansk and Donetsk) attempted to declare independence from a Ukrainian “puppet government” (one which still controls the country…and America is pulling the strings).

Lugansk and Donetsk wanted nothing to do with this American-controlled Ukrainian central governement.

In response, groups like the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion (now a part of the Ukrainian armed forces [Azov Regiment]) terrorized the peoples of Lugansk and Donetsk.

This went on for YEARS after the USA overthrew the elected government of Ukraine via the CIA-provocateured Euromaidan protests.

Russia FINALLY stepped in and said, “enough is enough”.

While it is true that Russia tried to make it a quick war (by toppling the central government of Ukraine…the same central government that was overseeing the terrorizing and killing of Russian-speaking Ukrainians in eastern Ukraine), I believe Russia accomplished its main mission:  to protect the Russian-speaking peoples of Lugansk and Donetsk.

Cui bono?

Public support in the USA for the Ukraine war is waning.

Ukraine needs A LOT MORE TROOPS…AND FAST!

Ukraine is getting desperate.

They are losing the war.

The war is almost lost.

So would it be so hard to find a couple handfuls of crazed Ukrainians to train and send into Russia to commit a terror attack in Moscow???

The attack at Crocus City was meant to strike a blow to the public morale in Russia.

Timing is everything.

This was not the work of ISIS.

-PD

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Murder by Decree [1979)

To what extent are the recent attacks on Israel a false-flag?

Where upon the LIHOP-MIHOP continuum do they fall?

Let It Happen On Purpose.

Make It Happen On Purpose.

Israel was in disarray.

This year.

Divided.

Like America was after the disastrous “hanging chad” election of 2000.

But the country was “brought together” by the false-flag/stand-down of 9/11/01.

And so the 21st century began.

Study Pearl Harbor.

FDR.

The Wohlstetters.

The neocons.

And their Israeli connections.

The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007.

How did they get weapons?

Where did they come from?

If not by sea, then by what route?

Or was the blockade so magnificently ineffective???

Since 9/11, a thinking person would do well to believe that which is diametrically-opposed to whatever is the prevailing mainstream news position on most current events.

Narrative: 9/11 was the work of 19 beardy Muslims (mostly Saudis) wielding nothing more than box cutters

More likely: 9/11 was the work of the American government

Narrative: the Twin Towers fell down

More likely: the Twin Towers were blown up

There are some limits to this George Costanza method.

For instance…

Narrative: four planes were hijacked

An opposite: there were no planes

I, for one, believe there were planes.

But whether there were or not, we begin to lose sight of the big picture if we haggle over esoteric points.

Let’s be frank, how could Israel have not been ready for this?

It makes no sense whatsoever.

Gaza has been blockaded by sea for 16 years.

In contrast, Israel has some of the most advanced weaponry in the world.

Israel is a country built upon VIGILANCE.

This was not a surprise.

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

The attack did not come from an unexpected point.

Ok, so they used some paragliders.

So what?

WHAT ELSE WAS NOVEL ABOUT THIS ATTACK?

As far as I can tell, almost nothing.

The attack was bold.

Ok, I will concede that.

But what of these areas bordering the Gaza Strip?

Wouldn’t these be the most well-protected areas in Israel?

Either Israel is being run by very stupid leaders, or the events that transpired were EXACTLY WHAT these leaders WANTED to transpire.

Why?

A. to unite a divided country

B. to look like the victim and thus be able to launch a disproportionate riposte under the aegis of “defense”

Something is very seriously amiss in all of this.

Let’s return to that mostly-useful exercise of more accurately “reading” the news.

Mainstream media: Israel is good–Palestine is bad

It would then necessarily follow that: Israel is bad–Palestine is good

The truth may be more subtle.

Perhaps Israel is not so bad.

Perhaps Palestine is not so good.

And backing up.

Perhaps Israel is not so good.

Perhaps Palestine is not so bad.

But you will see nothing but biased reporting in the USA (among other places) concerning these events.

You will be bombarded will PSAs about anti-Semitism.

You will see videos of Israelis being kidnapped.

But you will not experience any coordinated media blitz which highlights the plight of Palestine.

They will receive no sympathetic ink.

You will be provided with no counterbalance–no psychologically-manipulating context on why exactly the Palestinians and the larger Islamic world are pissed off at Israel.

History must be erased.

Ignored.

We depend upon your stupidity and ignorance to view these events STRICTLY IN THE CONTEXT WHICH WE HAVE PROVIDED YOU.

No shades of meaning may exist.

There is good: Israel

There is bad: Palestine

If you color outside these lines, you are anti-Semitic.

The ADL will soon be knocking at your proverbial (?) door.

Your social media accounts will be permanently suspended.

Because to disagree with the caveman-like logic of “Israel good–Palestine bad” is HATE SPEECH.

Dontcha know?

I love Jews.

I love Muslims.

I respect Israelis.

I respect Palestinians.

Most of all, I respect Russians.

And their allies: the communist Chinese.

I also respect he Middle Eastern allies of Russia: Syria and Iran.

I do not approve of an American carrier strike group GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR this shitstorm.

Remember the USS Liberty!!!

Remember how Netanyahu and Boris Johnson were the first two major world leaders to congratulate Biden on his “win” in 2020.

I was very open-minded about Israel under the mostly-excellent Presidency of Donald Trump.

That goodwill vanished when Netanyahu effectively validated the 2020 U.S. elections as “free and fair”.

And this pissed Trump off.

YET TRUMP IS STILL SHILLING FOR ISRAEL.

[when he’s not busy shilling for Pfizer]

Trump abdicated his final year in office to Fauci and Pence.

And Pence ruined the USA.

Trump will never admit that he rushed unsafe, ineffective vaccines to market.

What are we to do?

I stand with RFK Jr.

Can he win?

Probably not.

But how can I stand with moronic Trump?

Jan. 7, 2023: start of Israeli anti-Judicial reform protests (Habima square)

Jan. 14, 2023: over 80,000 Israelis protest in Tel Aviv against judicial reform

Mar. 26, 2023: Netanyahu dismisses defense minister Yoav Gallant after Gallant called for discussions to be paused on controversial judicial reform bill

Mar. 27, 2023: Netanyahu announces a pause on his government’s judicial reform bill

Jul. 5, 2023: Tel Aviv police chief Amichai Esched announces his resignation sparking demonstrations by large crowds in solidarity with him

Oct. 7, 2023: country magically comes together to fight a common enemy

Has Israel ever supported Hamas?

Has Israel ever enabled Hamas?

To what extent has Mossad infiltrated Hamas?

And I ask these questions again, where the fuck are all these weapons in Gaza coming from?

No, let met ask in another way.

BY WHAT ROUTE(S) are these weapons entering Gaza?

Gaza fires 5,000 rockets on Oct. 7.

These rockets only kill 5 people.

What are these?

Fucking roman candles?

Bottle rockets???

So you’re telling me approximately 695 Israelis have been killed IN ISRAEL due to Gaza checkpoints being overwhelmed?!?

Gimme a fucking break.

The implausibility of that…

At the very least, Israel wanted this attack to happen…in order to have a casus belli to wipe Gaza off the map with as little international pushback as possible.

I simply don’t believe that Israel’s leaders are so stupid as to have flimsy fortifications and weak troop numbers on the border with Gaza.

Israel has nuclear weapons.

Israel has 50-75 U.S. F-35 stealth fighters (the most advanced fighter jets that the USA has).

Gaza has pickup trucks.

And some bulldozers.

Gimme a fucking break.

This does not add up.

-PD

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India: Matri Bhumi [1959)

This is a hard film to title.

India.

मातृ भूमि.

Matri Bhumi.

The Devanagari (मातृ भूमि) translates to “homeland”.

And this brings us full-circle to a subject which has preoccupied us off and on for a month or so.

But we shan’t get too far into that excursus.

Nay, ’tis better to attempt a bit of writing regarding the film at hand.

First, we are thankful.

That Roberto Rossellini made a film about India.

Now, why would he go and do something like that?

Well, we must remember that he was only married to Ingrid Bergman from 1950-1957.

In 1957, he married Sonali DasGupta.  They were married until Rossellini’s death.

Without getting too lurid or tabloid, let’s just say that Jawaharlal Nehru invited Rossellini to India to help with the country’s film activities.  It was then that he met Sonali.

The rest is beyond the scope of this review.

But what is germane is the screenwriter Fereydoon Hoveyda.

Mr. Hoveyda, an Iranian diplomat and author, helped stage this documentary in much the same way that a Robert Flaherty film might be put together.

Think Tabu:  A Story of the South Seas (1931) on which F.W. Murnau collaborated with Flaherty.  Or even Louisiana Story (1948) which was a Flaherty propaganda film for Standard Oil of New Jersey.

Hoveyda, being the Iranian Ambassador to the U.N., was ostensibly in New York when the Revolution happened in 1979.  I’m guessing he stayed in America.  Probably a pretty smart choice.

And he was a smart guy.

Indeed, some of the books he wrote seem very timely indeed:

-What do Arabs want? (in French) [Hoveyda assumedly being Persian, not Arab]

-The Hidden Meaning of Mass Communications (2000) [sounds like a particularly interesting application of linguistics and/or semiotics to ends similar to the agenda-setting theory]

-The Broken Crescent: The Threat of Militant Islamic Fundamentalism (2002) [a rather suspicious title released at a potentially opportunist time]

and finally

-The Shah and the Ayatollah: Islamic Revolution and Iranian Mythology (2003) [the year the US was steamrolling Iraq…perhaps with salivating neocons looking to quickly expand into Iran]

I wouldn’t be so suspicious, but I noticed where Mr. Hoveyda passed away:  Clifton, Virginia.

Fairfax County.  Vienna.  Herndon.  Definitely some DoD in there.

Furthermore, it is home to the CIA (yay!), the NGA, the NRO, and the DNI’s office.

So my guess is that Mr. Hoveyda probably worked for the US intelligence community.

This would probably be a good time to tell you that I am pro-Islam.

I am pro-CIA.

I’m pro-Palestine.

I’m pro-immigration.

Pro-Mexico.  Pro-Russia.

But most of all I’m pro-America.

I hold no other citizenships.

Some of these revelations will be old hat.

Some new.

All probably confusing for one reason or another.

I’m pro-NSA.  I’m pro 25 AF.

I’m even pro-FBI.  [pro-DIA, pro-ONI, etc.]

Yes, I’m a 9/11 “truther”.

I want to know the truth.

Do I think Saudi Arabia did it?

It was impossible for any group to pull it off without state logistical support.

So it still points very much to an inside job.

The guilty state being the USA.

But maybe I’m wrong.

I do know one thing.

Mr. Trump has rightly noted that the WTC towers did not fall down by themselves.

Nor did they sustain enough damage to fall at near-freefall speeds.

So there was a team (a gargantuan effort) which wired those buildings to explode.

Who was that team?

What was their allegiance?

There were several big pieces to the attacks which needed substantial protection and handling once inside the U.S.

Ok, that’s about as open-minded as I can get regarding 9/11.

I just had to get that off my chest.

My assessments are fallible.

But I’ve seen an optimism in America in these past few days.

It’s not unlike the optimism which Rossellini captures in India:  Matri Bhumi.

Buzzards always circling.

And you’ve let me write about film.

And haven’t begrudged my politics.

So this is for my friends.  From many countries.

And every day I sit and try to think of the right thing to do.

Some things I know.

But there are many things I don’t know.

Many truths which are likely a combination of half-truths I never considered gluing together.

I wish all of you a happy day or night.

This is probably the worst review I ever wrote.

Because I’m better at insulting things.

I’m better at guessing.

But maybe I haven’t connected the dots?

It’s not my job.

But it’s been on my conscience since 9/11.

Who can we trust?

Why are there so many internally-incriminating anomalies?

And so many indications of a cover-up?

I welcome the Saudi lawsuits if only for the opportunity to learn who the REAL culprits were.

The Saudis were middlemen (if that).

They were central casting.

Until the remote flight plans took over.

God, what a daft war…

Based on nothing…and stirring up a continued mix of real and fake.

Impossible to discern anymore.

Maybe Trump has the guts to get some truth.

Obama squandered eight years without even a hint of curiosity.

Buzzards circling.

-PD

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Corner Store [2010)

I previously reviewed the Palestinian masterpiece خمس كاميرات محطمة‎‎ (Five Broken Cameras).

And we shall return to Palestine with another moving documentary.

Another masterpiece.

For this one we have a very perceptive American director to thank:  Katherine Bruens.

But all of it would be for naught if not for a shining example of humanity:  corner store owner Yousef Elhaj.

The occupation of Palestine can elicit such feelings of anger and disgust (as well it should).

But every once in a while a real kind spirit comes along.

And such kind spirits shame the despicable Israeli settlers and their vulture military even more so than the most vitriolic polemic.

Yousef Elhaj is such a person.

Sweet.  Hardworking.  Kind.  Quiet.  Patient.  Hardworking.

And (big surprise) a Christian.

Here we see a different perspective from 5 Broken Cameras.

I suppose we are used to assuming that all Palestinians are Muslims (and a vast majority are), but it is interesting to see things from a different perspective.

Elhaj’s life in Bethlehem (occupied West Bank) was just as crappy as that of any Muslim living there or in any other part of the criminally unrecognized Palestine.

Another important point…  Being Christian does not make Elhaj any less Arab.

Most importantly…  Peace in the Middle East is possible because of people like Yousef Elhaj.

He is really a jaw-dropping personage.

So much sacrifice for his family.

7:30 a.m.-midnight.

Seven days a week.

A little corner store on Church St. in San Francisco.

And to see life in Bethlehem.

To see the hell of walls and settlements which the Israelis have erected.

The settlements encroach.  The settlements surround.

Bethlehem is completely encircled by concrete structures which are too artless for even Frank Gehry to barf on.

That’s what settlements mean.

Don’t let the euphemism fool you.

“Settlements” are concrete apartment blocks built on stolen land.

That would be bad enough were it not for the ubiquitous (and racist) walls which stockade Palestine.

And yet we don’t see anger from Mr. Elhaj.

He isn’t shown at a protest.

He just wants his family to be alright.

And his main emotion upon seeing the decline of his home town of Bethlehem is sadness.

The Israeli gun towers.  Turrets to protect the settlers.  And to hell with everyone else.

The sadness as a business man is remarkable.

What made him leave in the first place.

Things weren’t just bad.  They were awful.

And so he has been away from his family for ten years.

He could have brought them to the U.S., but our immigration laws are not written to think of people as people.

Rather, our laws reduce people to statistics.

Quotas.

I can only figure that Mr. Elhaj (as bad as things were for him) actually had it better than Muslim Palestinians hoping to start a new life in America.  [Which is to say, Muslims in general are not in an enviable position at this time regarding their leverage in situations of immigration review.]

So let’s think about it…

Bernie Sanders might be a generally disposable candidate, but he’s gotten a couple things right.

When he talks about America’s strength being its diversity?  He’s absolutely right.

It’s trite.  It’s Democrat politics 101…but it is correct.

And Mr. Trump (whom I like)…  Wanna see what walls do?  Go check out Palestine.  Actually get in the open-air jail.  Don’t view it from a safe distance courtesy of the occupiers.

The walls are ugly.

Sad.

Pathetic.

Fearful.

Weak.

Mr. Elhaj has so much to teach us in this documentary.

You can succeed in America.

The opportunity is there.

It may not be pretty.

But when you’re coming from the hell of Bethlehem, it’s a walk in the park.

You do it all for your family.

Seven days a week.

For ten years.

 

-PD

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خمس كاميرات محطمة‎ [2011)

[5 BROKEN CAMERAS (2011)]

Israel is the most shameful country on Earth.

But America is not far behind.

Israeli soldiers are cowardly, repugnant beasts.

With their high-tech weapons.

It is the same for America.

The Jews of Israel who occupy the Palestinian West Bank are disgusting semblances of human life.

They need their walls.

They need to steal land.

Oh, sounds very progressive for the cause of Zion.

So very brave that these automata in their yarmulkes move in to the olive fields of Arabs.

They set the olive trees on fire.

That sounds like an outrageous claim.

But it is nothing compared to kidnapping children.

The Israeli military kidnaps children in West Bank villages.

Why?

To try and terrorize these subsistence farmers into ceasing their protests.

And why are these farmers from small villages protesting?

Because their land is being gobbled up little by little.

“Hey, I was using that land…by the way.”

Picking olives.

So the Israeli Humvees roll in at night.

Spielberg’s pathetic imagination could never conjure what documentary filmmaker Emad Burnat captured on film.

Israelis should be puking in the streets and smearing themselves with their own shit…in shame for what their military does in their name.

And America is not far behind.

Israeli soldiers with weak faces knocking on the doors in a West Bank village.

If there are children inside, the children are taken.

It is shock and awe…Stockholm syndrome…terroristic tactics of which Goebbels would have approved.

The weak Jews who move into settlements (concrete apartment blocks) on stolen land.

All they can yell is, “I’ll sue you.  I’ll sue you.”

How dare you film me as I move into my new patriotic Israeli home?

How dare you film the scramble of settlers eager to establish false legitimacy?

What kind sick people allow their military to shoot at children?

In this film.

Never a single gun among the Palestinians.

The only rocks they throw are when the Israeli stormtroopers roll through their village in an arrogant convoy.

But the children who are shot…

The incessant tear gas…

The stun grenades thrown at people…

These every day occurrences…rather, every Friday.

The villagers of Bil’in protesting a wall.

A nonviolent protest.

And every time (every fucking time) the Israelis disperse the crowd by means of violence.

People die.

People holding nothing but Palestinian flags.

Unarmed.

In the middle of fucking nowhere.

But it’s THEIR nowhere!

It’s where the olives grow.

“Hey…your wall has cut us off from the trees.  Our trees are now on your side of the wall.”

This film, 5 Broken Cameras, shows the struggle of a filmmaker who suffered more in making this film over five years than Jean-Luc Godard suffered making films over a lifetime.

And yet, Godard is the best of the Westerners.

The only one with a conscience.

He was in Palestine in the 70s.

No other filmmaker comes close to the integrity of Godard.

Except for Emad “The Real Deal” Burnat.

Immense credit is due to the Israelis who joined the struggle with their Palestinian brothers and sisters.

Co-director Guy Davidi was one.

Immense credit is due to Kino Lorber for releasing this film.

Immense credit is due to Hulu for currently streaming this film.

Last I checked, it was also available on Apple iTunes.  Great work, Apple!

Emad Burnat threatens to unseat Abbas Kiarostami as the most relevant Middle Eastern director.

Emad Burnat lays his cards on the table in a metaphorical game of poker with Abdellatif Kechiche.

There are real tears to be cried, do you understand?

I like a good lesbian fuckfest as much as the next bloke, but these are real tears, do you understand, Adèle Exarchopoulos?

We want to see beauty.  We want to see stories which mirror our pathetic little lives.

But 5 Broken Cameras shows you hell on Earth.

Palestine.

Norman Finkelstein is a two-face Janus (which is to say, a Janus).

And so am I.

But I am so out of fear.

I am human.

[Finkelstein attacked BDS for not boycotting 5 Broken Cameras.  That’s an intel op move.  Princeton.  Princeton.]

If you’re not afraid to post something, then it’s probably not important.

 

-PD

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