Occupation 101

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

It's just been released on DVD, and I finally watched the entire film over the weekend. This is a tour-de-force. Simply outstanding.

Synopsis

A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict -- 'Occupation 101' presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions.

The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.

The film covers a wide range of topics -- which include -- the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.

Check out the 6 short clips here:

http://www.occupation101.com/multimedia.html

[me_4_musa 1]

Thanks for the link WOM. I don’t guess one can just walk into Blockbuster to rent. Do you happen to have a link to watch it’s entirety on the internet? If not, I’m sure it’s worth purchasing and passing it on to others.

Thanks again for sharing.

[Henia 11]

I am going to have to check it out before I leave. Thanks MK!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Thanks for the link WOM. I don’t guess one can just walk into Blockbuster to rent. Do you happen to have a link to watch it’s entirety on the internet? If not, I’m sure it’s worth purchasing and passing it on to others.

Thanks again for sharing.

I haven't seen any links for watching the entire film online... just the short clips you see on the site (they're up on YouTube as well.) It premiered last year and made the rounds at various film festivals, and won quite a few awards. It was just released on DVD about 2 months ago. I'm not sure yet where else it will be available.

[allousa 1]

I tried to find it on Amazon, Netflix and Hollywood Video. Doesn't appear to be in distribution.

If any of you come across where to watch it or find the DVD...please post the info.

WOM, have you read "The Lemon Tree" by Sandy Tolan?

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I tried to find it on Amazon, Netflix and Hollywood Video. Doesn't appear to be in distribution.

If any of you come across where to watch it or find the DVD...please post the info.

WOM, have you read "The Lemon Tree" by Sandy Tolan?

The link is in my first post on this thread -- the site has the info on how you can buy it direct.

I haven't had the chance to read "The Lemon Tree" yet, but a friend did and heartily recommended it. What did you think of it ?

[allousa 1]

I really recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the history of Palestine and Israel. It's a true story but really reads like a fiction book. Since meeting Hicham and talking with his family I have become so interested in the history of what happened and how that effects what is going on today.

The Lemon Tree looks at the situation from both the perspective of a Palestinian man forced to flee and a Jewish woman forced to flee Belgium during the Holocust who immigrates to what is now Israel. I don't want to say much more as not to spoil it for you. I thought I knew a good bit until I read this book. I usually check out most books to read from the library but I ended up buying this one so that I could give it to other people to read.

I have found that so many people like to offer up an opinion about how this conflict should be handled yet they really don't know much about the history of this conflict. Do you find that as well?

I'm about to begin reading a book called "Paris 1919". It's about how this conflict was born. Have you heard of it or read it?

Edited July 10, 2007 by allousa

[allousa 1]

Hicham's family had to flee back in the late '60s. From what I understand, the IDF were rounding up many of the teachers and throwing them in prison because they were thought to be teaching resistance. Hicham's parents fled with his oldest brother and only sister. I can't remember what made them go to Morocco at the time, but that is where they have been since. Hicham's father had a house and land that was "confiscated" by the Israeli government for security reasons. He was never given any money for it. A few years ago, one of Hicham's uncles was killed by IDF. They came to his uncle's house looking for one of his brother's who someone had given his name as being a militant. The family came out and started to argue with the soldiers. His uncle got really mad and argued with them that it was a lie and they needed leave. They ended up shooting him! And he died! Turns out that a neighbor had turned in the brother's name for money. FOR MONEY!!! It makes me sick to think that he would turn on his own people.

His sister has been stuck there with her family for several years now. They have not been able to cross the border to get to an Israeli office to issue travel papers. One of her daughters is so afraid of the soldiers and planes that flies over, she actually will vomit whenever she sees or hears IDF near the house.

But they get along as best as they can. I've talked to her several times and she's very nice. When I gave birth to our son, she called to congradulate me. Needless to say, I'm sure the FBI checked me out as I got calls from Gaza and Morocco after our son was born!

I do get so mad when people talk about Palestinians like they are animals. These same people have absolutely NO IDEA what happens there. They are just going by what they see on the ####### tube. You know?

Hate to "post" and run....but it's getting super late here and I've got to get up at 6:00am to get ready for work and get my little boy ready for daycare. I will check in on this topic tomorrow.

WOM, I really enjoy reading your posts. Very informative!!!!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Reading is always a good thing

As far as people not being educated about the history -- well, I guess I would call it "mis-educated." There has been such an overwhelmingly pro-Zionist slant to mainstream American news coverage -- it's so pathetic that a lot of people don't even understand who is occupying who. Most of the time, the word "occupation" is not even mentioned, much less "illegal settlements." Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has done extensive studies of this subject -- you can read their reports about it at http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=13

So many myths have been perpetuated -- even those that are now readily acknowledged in Israel to be untrue. A lot of Americans still believe the fairy tales like "a land without people for a people without land" and "Israel made the desert bloom" and even "Muslims and Jews have been fighting over there for thousands of years." All of these are completely false.

But I have to say that in my experience, a promising number of people have shown a lot of curiosity and desire to understand what's going on -- they're always asking me, "So what's the deal over there ?" They watch TV and it just seems so crazy -- I can tell they suspect there must be something more, although they're not really sure what it is.

I can't tell you how many times people have seen pictures from my travels in Palestine and have just sat there stunned, saying "but this is nothing like they show us on TV." I have seen all the same reactions that people in grief go through -- denial, anger, feelings of betrayal. It really shakes someone up when they learn that just about everything they ever thought they knew about something is a lie -- and some people really can't ever deal with it. But I have found that quite a few will start to ask the same disturbing questions -- "How could the world let this happen ? How could our government aid and abet this ?"

Yes, there are people who will pompously pontificate about what they "think" is the solution when they don't even understand what the problem is. They have been spoon-fed so much ####### on American TV coverage that they're completely clueless as to what has actually happened. They don't know that Zionists planned the appropriation of Palestine since the late 1800s, long before Hitler. They never heard of the mass expulsions of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in 1947-48. They think Arab countries started the 1967 war. It can be extremely tedious to try to discuss the issue with these people, because you have to take them from kindergarten to college before you can even start.

And of course you always have some folks who really couldn't care less about anything outside their own lives.

But on a positive note, I think more and more Americans ARE starting to learn the realities of the conflict. The internet has been the major factor in this change. TV coverage is still doing its same old thing, but it doesn't have so much of a monopoly any more. The word is getting out.

[palilover 1]

The internet and the fact that Americans in general are getting sick of being taken into foreign wars such as Iraq. Many people are starting to question things now.

We hear many bad stories of Palestine and of course it happens...the checkpoints, gunfights, raids, etc etc. But from palistinian friends and of course my husband it is a lot mroe tahn that. They would rather tell you about the lemon trees everywhere than the checkpoint they had to cross to get to school or work everyday.

But I've learned from being married to one, the reality is always there. Twice I heard gun shots while on the phone with him and the first time his phone actually got disconnected and naturally I sat there and cried all night at work cuz I could not get through. (he was ok alhumdoolillah. His phone just had a bad battery.) And the idf came to his house looking for someone while I was on the phone with them and I got scared for him but it was an everyday thing for him. "They always come here looking for someone but we always tell them they have the wrong house and they go away" he said. And me, if some idf guys came to my house I would be hiding under the bed:)

It never ceases to amaze me that people do get used to living in some situations like that. They have never known any different. It is amazing to see how strong people are (although it does bring out the worst in people like those who would have someone killed for MONEY..that is just sick!!) but at the same time, it is sad too to think that yes, people are FORCED to accept and bear with living in thsoe conditions.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Hicham's family had to flee back in the late '60s. From what I understand, the IDF were rounding up many of the teachers and throwing them in prison because they were thought to be teaching resistance. Hicham's parents fled with his oldest brother and only sister. I can't remember what made them go to Morocco at the time, but that is where they have been since. Hicham's father had a house and land that was "confiscated" by the Israeli government for security reasons. He was never given any money for it. A few years ago, one of Hicham's uncles was killed by IDF. They came to his uncle's house looking for one of his brother's who someone had given his name as being a militant. The family came out and started to argue with the soldiers. His uncle got really mad and argued with them that it was a lie and they needed leave. They ended up shooting him! And he died! Turns out that a neighbor had turned in the brother's name for money. FOR MONEY!!! It makes me sick to think that he would turn on his own people.

His sister has been stuck there with her family for several years now. They have not been able to cross the border to get to an Israeli office to issue travel papers. One of her daughters is so afraid of the soldiers and planes that flies over, she actually will vomit whenever she sees or hears IDF near the house.

But they get along as best as they can. I've talked to her several times and she's very nice. When I gave birth to our son, she called to congradulate me. Needless to say, I'm sure the FBI checked me out as I got calls from Gaza and Morocco after our son was born!

I do get so mad when people talk about Palestinians like they are animals. These same people have absolutely NO IDEA what happens there. They are just going by what they see on the ####### tube. You know?

Hate to "post" and run....but it's getting super late here and I've got to get up at 6:00am to get ready for work and get my little boy ready for daycare. I will check in on this topic tomorrow.

WOM, I really enjoy reading your posts. Very informative!!!!

Everyone in Palestine has had to deal with this for the last 40 years. I don't think a single family has been spared the loss of a family member, or damage to or loss of their property, or traumatization of their children. Most of these kids have seen with their own eyes the killings, the maimings, and the beatings -- often of their own family. It's extremely stressful. What is truly amazing is that the Palestinian people have not all been driven completely insane by now. People actually get up in the morning and try to go about normal lives in the middle of this madness.

Even on "normal" days, it's bad. The checkpoints, the closures, the curfews, the constant harrassment and impeding of everyday daily life, not to mention the "limited incursions" of IDF troops (often "undercover") to arrest/assassinate -- this goes on every single day. I've witnessed many incidents myself, during some of the worst violence. I was there for an extended period during the invasion of 2002, when the IDF rampaged through the entire West Bank, sieged Arafat's compound and attacked the Jenin refugee camp. There were tanks in the streets, gunfire all day and all night, missiles dropping on homes and businesses, buildings destroyed, soldiers occupying private homes and using them for military installations, teargas, etc. One night they came into my apartment building -- they blew the front door off around 3am, terrified everyone living there, evicted the family in a flat on the top floor, and used it as a sniper post -- the soldiers even slept in the family's beds. The situation is utterly awful, and it's almost impossible to adequately describe. And in Gaza it's even worse. God with your husband's family always.

-MK

[allousa 1]

Thank you so much for your blessings for Hicham's family. I worry for them everyday and I pray for them everyday too.

You are so right that there is no way to describe the horror of the daily realities that go on there. And when I hear people make comments that "well the Palestinian people have done this to themselves", I just want to scream "Are you frigg'in out of your MIND????" I challenge anyone with this type of thinking to spend just one day there...just one day.

You are so right that they are on the brink of insanity, but still manage to carry on with their everyday lives and even find some humor or enjoyment in the day...well, that a true testiment to their strength.

I pray, I REALLY pray for peace for everyone in that region. I'm so tired and broken hearted over all the death and destruction.

[palilover 1]

Regarding Palistinians "doing this to themselves", while I do not agree with that statement, I am finding more and more how thsoe people need to get along better. The recent/current situation with Hamas/Fatah is a perfect example. Why are Palistinians killing each other? Nowadays it is not the IDF to worry about per se, but arabs killing arabs. Quite senseless.

In all cases, whether it is the IDF or Hamas/Fatah doing the killing, the Palistinain people are going to suffer. When I think of this, I think of a story I read where sadly someone's cousin was killed in gunfire between Hamas and Fatah a few weeks ago. She was a little girl and not involved in the fighting...just at the wrong place at the wrong time. And when someone asked the writer whose side he was on in the Hamas/Fatah conflict, he said "Neither. I am on the side of my cousin and many more that are like her."

"The first and most devastating casualty in war is civilization itself"

[allousa 1]

I certainly agree that Hamas and Fatah have made it more difficult for the people, but when I made reference to the "Palestinians have done it to themselves", I mean that those people that criticize, particularly the people of Gaza of having made nothing out of the land they were "given".

It is a myth that Israel "gave back" Gaza to the people. All borders, airspace and ports are controlled by Israel. All imports and exports...controlled by Israel. Even the tax revenue collected IN Gaza is controlled by Israel. How on earth are the people to make a functioning life from these kinds of conditions.

As for the people electing Hamas as the government...what choice did they have? Fatah (Abbas) smiles at them all the while putting half the money in their own pocket. I certainly don't approve of the violent tactics that Hamas as used, but they have done more for the people's every day needs (healthcare, school, rebuilding) than Fatah has. The same argument can be said of Hezballah.

If your family is starving and living in dangerous and dire conditions, more than likely, you will do anything to provide for them, even if that means dealing with a radical element.

The impossible conditions imposed on the common Palestinian people are insane and yet the world stands by and says and expects them to "fix" the problem themselves.

Sorry for the ranting...it's just I feel very deeply and strongly about this issue because of my husband and his family who have become very dear to me.

[desert_fox 32]

Reading is always a good thing

As far as people not being educated about the history -- well, I guess I would call it "mis-educated." There has been such an overwhelmingly pro-Zionist slant to mainstream American news coverage -- it's so pathetic that a lot of people don't even understand who is occupying who. Most of the time, the word "occupation" is not even mentioned, much less "illegal settlements." Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has done extensive studies of this subject -- you can read their reports about it at http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=13

I would think that your views are as slanted in the other direction as ours are in the pro Israel point of view, that we receive from the Western media.

I do believe that Israel is willing to negotiate with the "real" govt of the Palestinians, if such a govt exists.

Maybe after the Palestinians are finished with their own internal conflicts, that a 'real' govt will emerge. I sure hope so. I have worked with many ppl from that part of the world and they are good decent ppl, and they are able to see another point of view after living in the US for several years.