In a fresh
attempt to suppress and obscure the facts, Israel's culture minister has called
for Oscar-winning Israeli co-directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor to be
stripped of their citizenship for "treason." This comes in response
to their documentary film, *Naza*, which exposes undeniable evidence of the
Israeli military's involvement in mass killings and a systematic slaughter of
civilians in the Gaza Strip.
The film derives
its name from the Hebrew military acronym for collateral damage (permissible
civilian casualties in airstrikes). The documentary relies on testimonies from
24 secret intelligence and military officers, who shed light on the AI-powered
targeting systems utilized by Israel's war machine to brutally bombard Gaza
since October 7, 2023.
This uproar
unfolds amid an ongoing war of annihilation, where the Israeli aggression has
resulted in the martyrdom of over 73,000 Palestinians—including more than
20,000 children—according to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health documenting
the scale of the tragedy caused by the Israeli occupation forces (IDF).
Exposing the
Criminal Methodology of the Occupation
The 80-minute
film clearly documents "the systems behind Israel's calculated mass
killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza." Among the horrifying
testimonies featured is the admission by one interviewee that military
approvals were granted to kill 500 civilians to target "just a single
human target"—allegations that the occupation forces swiftly rejected and
labeled as "completely false" in an attempt to evade accountability.
Government
Suppression and Intimidation Tactics
In an effort to
black out information and intimidate creators, far-right Culture Minister Miki
Zohar demanded that security authorities investigate how the directors obtained
these scandalous documents, hinting at accusations that could amount to
"aiding the enemy during wartime."
In an incigatory
letter addressed to the Israeli Interior Ministry, Zohar claimed that "the
claims presented in the film are false," demanding the invocation of
Israel's Citizenship Law, which allows for the revocation of citizenship due to
a "breach of allegiance to the State of Israel." This serves as a
glaring expression of the ruling establishment's desire to suppress any voice
that dares to expose its crimes.
Widespread Global
Acclaim for the Film
In stark contrast
to the Israeli suppression campaign, the documentary "Naza" produced
by the British newspaper "The Guardian" received widespread
international praise. Following its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, it
was met with a historic 25-minute standing ovation and was awarded the Special
Jury Prize, alongside sweeping critical acclaim highlighting the work's
importance in revealing the horrific reality that the occupation government
tries to hide.
In statements,
director Yuval Abraham emphasized that the Israeli war primarily targets
civilians, stressing that what the film documents is not merely occasional
errors, but rather a "very, very systemic approach" exposed from
within the military apparatus itself.
Broad Front of
Support for the Directors
Facing fascist
threats from occupation politicians—such as former Prime Minister Naftali
Bennett, who attacked the film, and Avigdor Lieberman, who described the
directors as "haters of Israel"—a sweeping wave of solidarity emerged
from wide cinematic circles. Over 700 members of the film industry signed a
petition supporting the directors and condemning the incitement and
vilification campaign against them. As Israeli actor and screenwriter Shlomi
Elkabetz stated to Israel's N12 channel, "These are questions raised in
the film that must be examined, not silenced."