For the Palestinian cause “it is the darkest hour in its history”, with the attacks in Gaza who continue without respite and the number of deaths that exceeded 50 thousand people. With the attacks of the Israeli settlers in the West Bank who become more and more violent and frequent, but also with the attacks of the Aviv army. And to stop violence and employment “a solution can only come from the international community”, while in Israeli society the voices for peace are “now only a small minority”.
The Palestinian director and activist Basel Adra, one of the four directors (two Palestinians and two Israelis) of the documentary winner of the Oscar No Other Land, who tells the life of the Palestinians in the Masafer Yatta area, in the West Bank, highlighting the difficulties faced with the demolitions and forced exhaustions operated by the Israeli army, is convinced of this.
Accusations to Europe
Invited to the European Parliament by the Socialist Eurodeputita Hana Jalloul Muro, Adra has pointed the finger at Europe, accusing it of “double standards” compared to the way in which she behaves with the Russia of Vladimir Putin for the invasion of Ukraine and with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, also accused by the international criminal court of war crimes, with the strip of Gaza now reduced to a mass of rubble and an open -air cemetery.
The documentary’s victory aroused strong controversy in Israel. The Minister of Culture and Sport, Miki Zohar, defined the film a form of “sabotage against the state”, accusing the directors of defaming the country to obtain international awards.
Attacks and complaints
After the victory at the Oscars, the other Palestinian director of the documentary, Hamdan Ballal, was attacked by the armed and hooded Israeli colonists in his Christmas village of Susiya, in the West Bank. Subsequently, he was arrested by Israeli forces while he received medical care, remaining blindfolded and handcuffed on a freezing floor all night. The same documentary, despite the prestigious recognition, has not found a distribution in Israelis cinemas.
“No solution from the inside”
“In Israeli society, the voices against employment and for a peaceful coexistence are very minority. Very few people and organizations that publicly oppose employment and the apartheid system are not there. So there will never be a solution from the inside. Because the Israelis continue to obtain money, weapons, enjoy excellent international relationships, even illegal settlements, with which you too. They receive money and weapons from the United States and can travel where they want, “says Adra in an interview with uisjournal.com.
Repression and violence
On the other hand, however, the Palestinians only receive repression. “We have no power, even if we make a peaceful protest we are attacked, as seen in the documentary. Civil society organizations are identified as terrorist and blocked organizations. The response to everything we do to change reality and our future are always attacks and violence”, the director reports.
Lost trust in the international community
“Despite the arrest warrant, Netanyahu has been accepted with open arms in Hungary and would also be accepted in other European countries. Because international law counts for nothing. Israel violates it daily, and on their television channels we speak openly about ethnic cleaning plans, the crimes they are committing. It is all part of the public debate, as if it were normal and nothing is hidden. by the international community “, asks Adra.
But the 28 -year -old Palestinian does not seem to have any trust that the international community will do its part. “For the Palestinian cause this is the darkest hour in history. And things get worse day after day. What is seen in the documentary is nothing, now it is happening much worse. Since the beginning of the year there have been more than one hundred attacks from settlers, more than twenty demolitions of houses. We feel completely abandoned”, continues Adra.
Appeal to Europe
The director underlines that with the election of Trump things have worsened “but for this reason we will stop fighting”, he promises. And Europe asks concrete actions. “The first thing he should do is at least protect his own humanitarian projects in Palestine, which are also the subject of attacks of the colonists and the Israeli army. And it could boycott at least the products of illegal colonies. But Europe does not even do this, it is filled with the mouth of words and proclamations but does nothing concrete”.
