This week, new scenes were shot, edited, produced, and added to the ongoing double feature known as the Arab-Israeli conflict.
President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday visited the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, wrapping up a three-day state visit. After meeting survivors and German high school students, Herzog gave a speech in which he invoked his father, the late president Chaim Herzog, who helped liberate the “horror camp” in April 1945 as an officer of the British forces:
Here he addressed the victims of the Holocaust and said: ‘In the name of the Jewish People, and in the name of the State of Israel, I repeat our oath never to forget you, and to be forever faithful to your bequest: the imperative of life.‘”
As Herzog was concluding a trip that included his participating in the 50-year anniversary ceremony in Munich for the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games, another scene was playing out.
Related Reading: Mahmoud Abbas Negates Munich Massacre With ’50 Holocausts’ Comments
Members of a high-ranking body of the European Parliament called on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to crack down on antisemitic textbooks in the Palestinian schools it funds and manages.
Educational material for Palestinian students provided by UNRWA promotes jihadi violence and incites antisemitism, a new report by Israeli education watchdog IMPACT-se found.
And regarding the Munich Massacre, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah continued their incessant glorification of the murders, this week ranking the tragedy among the top “quality operations” and most “successful” terror attacks in Palestinian history.
Despite these stark contrasts, the media reflexively depict both sides to the conflict as equally valid. However, Jerusalem’s plot line is guided — though not always perfectly — by the themes of hope, humanity, and redemption. Meanwhile, the story being produced in Ramallah is driven by bigotry, glorification of murder, and rejectionism.
What makes a movie great? There are many factors that go into a film being recognized as a timeless classic. First and foremost, a compelling story that connects with audiences everywhere is a trademark of a memorable piece of cinema.
The founding of the modern State of Israel is a perfectly scripted, though by no means flawlessly performed, tale of triumph over extraordinary odds. The confluence of the Jewish people’s ancient link to the land, the Zionist movement’s monumental efforts to re-establish a state, and a complex array of geopolitical factors are responsible for Israel’s creation.
And while the horror of the Holocaust may have catalyzed the push for Jewish self-determination, it is quite likely that independence would have happened even had the Final Solution not been perpetrated.
Related Reading: Israel Was Not Created Because of Holocaust, Rather Ancient Jewish Roots & Modern Determination
The executives behind the production of the Palestinian narrative have from scene 1, act 1 told a very different origin story. Palestinian nationalism exists only in opposition to Jewish nationalism, and was only created in response to the rise of the national liberation movement of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland.
Most societies venerate their nation’s contributions to humanity — their authors, artists, athletes, and other assorted trailblazers. The plot promoted by the PA and Palestinian terror groups, by contrast, is fixated almost exclusively on glorifying a national culture by encouraging and rewarding the murder of innocent civilians.
Related Reading: Journalists Lap Up and Peddle Palestinian Propaganda as European Union Renews ‘Unconditional’ Aid to PA
Another important part of a movie is its soundtrack, the recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture.
Indeed, a comparison of national soundtracks is revealing. Israel’s anthem, Hatikvah, literally translates into ‘The Hope.’ The song evokes the struggles faced by the Jewish people over the course of two millennia, how they prayed for the end of the exile, and eventually returned to their indigenous land.
While not without controversy since it doesn’t mention 22 percent of the citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, Hatikvah is the national anthem of a country where every citizen enjoys complete equality under the law — as stated in the country’s Declaration of Independence — regardless of race, creed, religion or national background.
Compare that to the blood-curdling Palestinian anthem, titled Fida’i (Fedayeen Warrior). It speaks of “the volcano of my vendetta” and its final words appear to embrace martyrdom:
I will live as a warrior, I will remain a warrior,
I will die as a warrior – until my country returns.”
Finally, great films have a significant cultural impact upon release and age well. That’s because the foundational ideas at the core of such movies stand the test of time.
The story coming out of Israel continues to gain currency, with the country’s international standing rising rapidly.
Whether its medical advances, innovations in humanitarian relief, technological leaps forward, or new diplomatic and security partnerships being forged in response to Iranian regional threats, Israel is more deeply embedded and invested in the family of nations than ever before.
Related Video: Normalization Not Newsworthy? Media’s Glaring BDS Obsession
On the other hand, the international audience for the Palestinian narrative seems to be dwindling.
A May 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center found that just five percent of US adults support the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to demean and isolate Israel, with a mere 2 percent saying they strongly back the campaign.
While some movies offer hope that people can ultimately be inspired to act by the better angels of their nature, others are little more than low-quality films that play on people’s worst fears.
Media outlets should revise their take on Israel’s story and leave the Palestinian tale of eternal violent struggle on the cutting room floor.
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region.
Featured Image: Graphic assets via Shutterstock
Exodus vs. Birth of a Nation: Media Miss Mark on Jewish Self-Determination, Palestinian Nationalism
Reading time: 5 minutes
This week, new scenes were shot, edited, produced, and added to the ongoing double feature known as the Arab-Israeli conflict.
President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday visited the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, wrapping up a three-day state visit. After meeting survivors and German high school students, Herzog gave a speech in which he invoked his father, the late president Chaim Herzog, who helped liberate the “horror camp” in April 1945 as an officer of the British forces:
As Herzog was concluding a trip that included his participating in the 50-year anniversary ceremony in Munich for the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Olympic Games, another scene was playing out.
Related Reading: Mahmoud Abbas Negates Munich Massacre With ’50 Holocausts’ Comments
Members of a high-ranking body of the European Parliament called on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to crack down on antisemitic textbooks in the Palestinian schools it funds and manages.
Educational material for Palestinian students provided by UNRWA promotes jihadi violence and incites antisemitism, a new report by Israeli education watchdog IMPACT-se found.
And regarding the Munich Massacre, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah continued their incessant glorification of the murders, this week ranking the tragedy among the top “quality operations” and most “successful” terror attacks in Palestinian history.
Despite these stark contrasts, the media reflexively depict both sides to the conflict as equally valid. However, Jerusalem’s plot line is guided — though not always perfectly — by the themes of hope, humanity, and redemption. Meanwhile, the story being produced in Ramallah is driven by bigotry, glorification of murder, and rejectionism.
Join the fight for Israel’s fair coverage in the news
What makes a movie great? There are many factors that go into a film being recognized as a timeless classic. First and foremost, a compelling story that connects with audiences everywhere is a trademark of a memorable piece of cinema.
The founding of the modern State of Israel is a perfectly scripted, though by no means flawlessly performed, tale of triumph over extraordinary odds. The confluence of the Jewish people’s ancient link to the land, the Zionist movement’s monumental efforts to re-establish a state, and a complex array of geopolitical factors are responsible for Israel’s creation.
And while the horror of the Holocaust may have catalyzed the push for Jewish self-determination, it is quite likely that independence would have happened even had the Final Solution not been perpetrated.
Related Reading: Israel Was Not Created Because of Holocaust, Rather Ancient Jewish Roots & Modern Determination
The executives behind the production of the Palestinian narrative have from scene 1, act 1 told a very different origin story. Palestinian nationalism exists only in opposition to Jewish nationalism, and was only created in response to the rise of the national liberation movement of the Jewish people to return to their ancestral homeland.
Most societies venerate their nation’s contributions to humanity — their authors, artists, athletes, and other assorted trailblazers. The plot promoted by the PA and Palestinian terror groups, by contrast, is fixated almost exclusively on glorifying a national culture by encouraging and rewarding the murder of innocent civilians.
Related Reading: Journalists Lap Up and Peddle Palestinian Propaganda as European Union Renews ‘Unconditional’ Aid to PA
Another important part of a movie is its soundtrack, the recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture.
Indeed, a comparison of national soundtracks is revealing. Israel’s anthem, Hatikvah, literally translates into ‘The Hope.’ The song evokes the struggles faced by the Jewish people over the course of two millennia, how they prayed for the end of the exile, and eventually returned to their indigenous land.
While not without controversy since it doesn’t mention 22 percent of the citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, Hatikvah is the national anthem of a country where every citizen enjoys complete equality under the law — as stated in the country’s Declaration of Independence — regardless of race, creed, religion or national background.
Compare that to the blood-curdling Palestinian anthem, titled Fida’i (Fedayeen Warrior). It speaks of “the volcano of my vendetta” and its final words appear to embrace martyrdom:
Finally, great films have a significant cultural impact upon release and age well. That’s because the foundational ideas at the core of such movies stand the test of time.
The story coming out of Israel continues to gain currency, with the country’s international standing rising rapidly.
Whether its medical advances, innovations in humanitarian relief, technological leaps forward, or new diplomatic and security partnerships being forged in response to Iranian regional threats, Israel is more deeply embedded and invested in the family of nations than ever before.
Related Video: Normalization Not Newsworthy? Media’s Glaring BDS Obsession
On the other hand, the international audience for the Palestinian narrative seems to be dwindling.
A May 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center found that just five percent of US adults support the Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement that aims to demean and isolate Israel, with a mere 2 percent saying they strongly back the campaign.
While some movies offer hope that people can ultimately be inspired to act by the better angels of their nature, others are little more than low-quality films that play on people’s worst fears.
Media outlets should revise their take on Israel’s story and leave the Palestinian tale of eternal violent struggle on the cutting room floor.
Liked this article? Follow HonestReporting on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see even more posts and videos debunking news bias and smears, as well as other content explaining what’s really going on in Israel and the region.
Featured Image: Graphic assets via Shutterstock
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