Egyptian filmmaker faces wrath of colleagues over Israel CAIRO (AFP) - Egyptian filmmakers urged organizers of the Cairo International Film Festival to withdraw the sole Egyptian film from the official competition because its director backs normalization of ties with Israel. Dozens of filmmakers and critics met Sunday to demand the withdrawal of "Girls' Loves" because its director Khaled Al-Hagar made a previous film backing normalization with the Jewish state, said a statement obtained by AFP. The group was critical of the 1993 film, "A Barrier That Divides Us," which tells the story of an impossible love between an Egyptian man and young Jewish woman in London. The film was sharply criticized when it was shown during the meeting at the offices of the Bar Association. "No Israeli filmmaker could have made a film that mocks Arabs as much as this one and shows a young Jewish woman with so much passion for an Arab," said Mustafa Moharram, a former chairman of the Alexandria Film Festival. Hagar's film was the only Egyptian entry among the 19 films in the official competition, though a total of 210 films from 45 different countries will be shown throughout the 10-day festival that began last week. But Hagar last week condemned what he said was "Israel's oppressive practices against the Palestinian people." His new film is about three half-sisters who do not know each other. They meet upon the death of their father, whose will requires them to live together for a year before they can inherit his property. Among the other films in the competition are two from Syria, "What the Audience Wants" by Abdel Latif Abdel Hamid and "Poetic Visions" by Waha al-Raheb, as well as the Tunisian film "Wind Dance" by Tayeb al-Wahichi. Around a dozen other feature-length films are from Western and Asian countries. The organizers have routinely barred participation by Israeli filmmakers in the annual festival despite a 1979 peace treaty between the two countries which provided for cultural cooperation.
Of course they don't. And unfortunately, there is plenty of history to make the case that their only goal is to shove the Jews into the sea. The only way peace will truly come to the Mideast is if/when we allow Israel an open hunting license to take care of business and make sure its survival and sovereignty are never threatened and the "Palestinians" are booted out of Israel back to the Arab nations where they belong.
wow . . . don't you think that's a bit extreme??? an open hunting license??? i hope you are making those statements for effect rather than you actually believing them . . .
And there is also history and evidence showing that members of Israel's govts. want to drive palestinians into the sea, and don't want a Palestinian state. I don't think it's wise to give one side a license when they are guilty of the same desires the other side is.
The questions should really be: 1) Can an agreement be reached; 2) How will the Arab community respond when there's peace. And as FB mentioned, the Israeli gov or maybe even Israelis, in general, are none too keen on Arabs right now. They're in conflict, it's not a shocker.
The Israelis may not be too keen on Arabs, but they recognize Arab nations and have said they are willing to have a Palestinian state side by side with Israel. It is sad that even having the opinion to just normalize ties Israel inspires so much rage in Egypt- a country that is supposed to be at peace with Israel.
Put yourself in their shoes. Right or wrong, they honestly believe that Israelis oppress other Arabs. What if there was an enclave of Americans in the Baltics that were stuck in refugee camps during the cold war? I agree that there are many Arabs who want Israel to disappear. But I wonder how many would still feel that way if Palestinians had a nation, and their econimic success was closely tied to Israel's (which, more than likely, it will be). My hope and belief is that those feelings will dissipate for most, and the others will be overwhelmed by their countrymen (er...hopefully, hopefully). Since so many want Israel gone, the difficulty will be getting to attain a positive momentum.
All the while the Israelis are still "settling" the West Bank. Actions speak louder than words. I fear you have been played.
I disagree. Israel has been on a leash for quite some time, although it seems to be a very long leash. If the leash was removed, the West Bank would be pulverized into a sheet of glass by the Israeli army after a homicide bombing.
There is certainly a notable faction of Israelis who are pro-settlement, but many Israelis are not too happy with them. Terrorism gives the religious fanatics...and Sharon...carte blanche.
Well, if I put myself in their shoes, wouldn't I feel a great amount of hatred for Jews and have all types of irrational thoughts? I saw cool_chick posts. I don't really know if a Palestinian state would quell passions. I think several factions from Palestine would gear up for a new war with Israel, this time with a more favorable strategic position. I really believe it requires internal reforms of Palestinians, not an external political solution. If a Palestinian leader is brave enough to take out the terrorists and start real negotiations with Israel then that would be a big step, and a political solution would be easy.
Do a google search on "IDF head shot"? They may be using rubber bullets, but the IDF sharp shooters are aiming for the head. Most of these head shot victums are noncombatants and are maimed for life. Just think how the IDF treats combatants. The IDF will take out an entire building to get one Hamas "leader". That sounds like open season to me.
Take Jenin, for example. It was supposedly a slaughter...a 'Stalingrad' (per Arafat). But anywhere from 7 to 22 Palestinian civilians died. Not to belittle those deaths. My sympathies go out to them and their families. But if it was open-season, with all of the fighting that was taking place in neighborhoods there, the numbers would have been substantial. It is not 'open season' on Palestinians.
