Palestine Is Still The Issue (2002 edition)
John Pilger
In 1977, the award-winning
journalist and film-maker, John Pilger, made a documentary
called Palestine Is Still The Issue. He told how almost
a million Palestinians had been forced off their land
in 1948, and again in 1967. In this in-depth documentary,
he has returned to the West Bank of the Jordan and Gaza,
and to Israel, to ask why the Palestinians, whose right
of return was affirmed by the United Nations more than
half a century ago, are still caught in a terrible limbo
-- refugees in their own land, controlled by Israel
in the longest military occupation in modern times.
"The fate and struggle
of the Palestinians," says Pilger, "are not
just critical to the overdue recognition of their basic
human rights, but are also central to whether the region,
and the wider world, are plunged into war. Israel is
now one of the biggest military powers in the world.
While nothing changes, the dangers become greater. This
is a film about a nation of people, traumatized, humiliated
and yet resilient. In trying to liberate less than a
quarter of historic Palestine, they have had no army,
no air force, and no powerful friends -- and have fought
back with slingshots and now with the terrorism of the
suicide bombers."
In a series of extraordinary
interviews with both Palestinians and Israelis, John
Pilger weaves together the issue of Palestine. He speaks
to the families of suicide bombers and their victims;
he sees the humiliation of Palestinians imposed on them
at myriad checkpoints and with a permit system not dissimilar
to apartheid South Africa's infamous pass laws. He goes
into the refugee camps and meets children who, he says,
"no longer dream like other children, or if they
do, it is about death."
Continually asking for
the solution, John Pilger says it is time to bring justice,
as well as peace, to Palestine.
DVD Bonus Features
Besides
playing the program straight through, you can also play
it by chapters. The chapter stops have been chosen to
enable immediate access to key portions of the film. Includes bonus features such as background information on the history of the conflict from 1987 until 2002.
Reviews
"[Pilger] allows the viewer to hear candid and
powerful statements that it is vital for outsiders to
hear. I would advise professors: If you don't have time
to show the entire video in your class, at least show
your students the first fifteen minutes. The frank comments
by both Palestinians and Israelis...will provide the
basis for a spirited debate among the students for the
remainder of the class period."
Ann Lesch, Villanova University, Middle East Studies
Association Bulletin
"Highly recommended
for its bold analysis of the Palestine problem...crucial
viewing for those interested in challenging their assumptions."
Michael J. Coffta, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania,
Educational Media Reviews Online
Related Links
John
Pilger: Why my film is under fire
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Film
Specs
Classification:
Documentary
Presented by: John Pilger
Directed by: Anthony Stark
Release date: 2002
Length: 53 minutes
Language: English
Awards
The Chris Award
Columbus International
Film & Video Festival
Best of Category
Vermont International Film Festival
Certificate of Merit
Chicago International Television Awards
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