SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.2.2026

Israeli military rejects allegations portrayed in ‘NAZA’

What else do you expect from the murderous Israeli military after it murdered over 70,000 Palestinians since October 7, 2023?

The truth hurts, eh.

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 10.2.2026

When it premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in mid-September, “NAZA” received a 25-minute-long standing ovation and the Special Jury Prize. But in Israel, the documentary has fueled heated debate.

Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar described the work of filmmakers Rachel Szor and Yuval Abraham “treason against the state” and urged that their citizenship be revoked. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also sharply criticized the documentary.

Israel’s culture minister wants to strip the makers of a documentary on Israel’s Gaza offensive of their citizenship. He accused the two of seeking “applause from antisemites around the world.”

Now the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has also rejected the film’s allegations about its conduct during the war in Gaza. In a multi-page document, the military accuses the filmmakers of presenting a “distorted, misleading and disingenuous picture.” The film, it says, is based on “substantial factual errors” resulting from “manipulative misrepresentations of reality.” 

The 80-minute documentary examines the Israel Defense Forces’ operations during the war in Gaza. It is based on interviews conducted with 24 anonymous military and intelligence personnel, who describe internal procedures and decision-making processes involved in selecting targets in the Gaza Strip. According to the interviewees, high civilian casualty estimates were, in some cases, deliberately factored into these decisions.

The military accuses the filmmakers of omitting important facts. According to the IDF, the film fails to show the role of military legal advisors and commanders in reviewing and authorizing attacks or the measures it says it takes to protect civilians.

It also argues that the film does not adequately address the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people were killed and 250 people were taken hostage. 

https://www.dw.com/en/israel-naza-documentary-idf-response/a-79520483

Top photo: Palestine graveyard – Only the Dead Have Seen the End of War – Plato

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 1.1.2025

It’s going to be a difficult year for Arab Americans as extremist Donald Trump returns to power with his xenophobic mind set. One place where his racist policies will be on abhorrent display will be those sycophants he places in power to implement his warped governance.

Israel will be given a free reign to continues its murderous assault against the Palestinian children, women and men of Gaza facilitated by outgoing President Joe Biden.

Bibi Netanyahu and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are responsible for the wanton slaughter of over 45,000 Palestinians. Killed in retaliation with American supplied weaponry since the Hamas attack on Israel killing over 1200 on October 7, 2023.

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 1.1.2025

Trump’s pro-Israel picks for key positions

There are voices like Khalid Turaani’s, an Arab American activist, warning that the situation for people in Gaza and Arabs in the United States would only get worse under Trump.

Turaani cited the selection of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as the ambassador to Israel. Huckabee once said, “There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”

“When he says there’s no such thing as Palestinians, when people don’t exist, then there’s no genocide,” said Turaani. “You cannot kill or genocide a group of people who do not exist. I think throughout history when people commit genocide, they deny that those people existed.”

Turaani said he was also concerned about Trump selecting New York congresswoman Elise Stefanik to be the US ambassador to the United Nations.

A childhood spent in a camp for Palestinian refugees in Syria has made Turaani wary of Stefanik’s stance toward the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). Stefanik has repeatedly expressed support for Israel’s decision to defund UNRWA and called on the US to do the same, as Trump did in 2018.

https://www.dw.com/en/arab-americans-eye-trumps-pro-israel-government-picks/a-71062610