Sunday, February 18, 2007

Israeli movie, Coming Home, is an example of why Jimmy Carter is wrong

Saw an Israeli movie last night, Coming Home. Despite having won a number of prestigious awards, it was not a great movie. It is the story of two 18 year old girls who serve on the border police searching Arab women at check points and registering Arab "looking" individuals in downtown Jerusalem.

[Apparently this is done so that in case of a bombing the police will know who was in the area who might have taken part.]

In any case, it is not a completely flattering portrait of Israel. It might be said to be "even handed." It shows a bombing in downtown Jerusalem. But it also shows racial profiling and meanness for the sake of meanness on the part of these 18 year olds.

For me the two most startling moments in the film came at the opening and closing credits. The opening one included a credit to the Israeli Film Fund and the closing one to the Ministry of Industry and Technology. Both clearly gave substantial financial support to the film.

Imagine an Arab country -- or maybe even this country -- funding a film which showed its policies in such a critical or honest light....

Apartheid???

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