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The movie: Jennin Jennin
An Israeli-Arab director has made a movie called Jennin-Jennin in which he portrays the "massacre" of the city and it's people by the IDF.
The movie is a huge success all over the world.
An Israeli doctor who served in Jennin during the operation wrote about the movie in a newspaper here.
I tried to translate it as good as I can while pretending to work...
The movie is a huge success all over the world.
An Israeli doctor who served in Jennin during the operation wrote about the movie in a newspaper here.
I tried to translate it as good as I can while pretending to work...
Dr. David Zengen / Maariv
I have watched the Mohammed Bakhri's movie "Jennin Jennin" in a limited forum with Jerusalem's sinematec director, Lia Van Leer and a few journalists.
In the end of the movie, I responded to it and pointed one by one at the lies and half truths. One of the attendants responded with rage "If you don't accept the facts in the movie, you propably don't understand a thing and how can you be a doctor at all ?". For a moment there I forgot I've actually been in Jennin last april, then served as the doctor of the brigade and that dignified viewer was at most fed ith roumors. Bakhri weaves together lies and half truths with such a skill that it becomes very hard not to be tempted by the distorted picture he creates.
I couldn't convince the sinematec's management to cancle the movie. I've been told that the pictures of ruined houses were authentic so there is truth in the movie and besides, the movie will be seen all over the world.
I was still invited for the premiere in Jerusalem and have arrived so I could explain my stand to the audience. Here are some points I wanted to share with the audience:
1. The Jennin's hospital director, Dr. Abu Rally, claims in the movie that the west wing of the hospital has been mombarded and destroyed and that the IDF (Israel Defence Force) has intentionally damaged water and electricity supply to the hospital. Well, such wing has never existed and no part of the hospital wasn't bombed or bombarded. The IDF soldiers never entered that defined area even though we knew it harbored some wanter terrorists. Water, electricity and oxygen supply to the hospital has been kept during the fighting and the IDF has helped with an emergency generator when the electricity supply of the city has been hurt. Bakhri himself is seen in the movie wandering through the clean and well maintained halls of the hospital but not in the bombarded wing. I have met him outside the cinema and asked whether he has visited the bombarded wing. At first he said no, and immediately corrected, "wait a minte, you remember the broken glass in the movie - it's from there". It's important to point out that this Abu Rally is one of the "trusted sources" in the claim of a "massacre". In the beginning of the operation he has been interviewed by the Al-Jesira network and talked about "thousands of casualties".
2. Another impressing part is an interview with a Jennin citizen, 75 years old crying and telling that he was pulle dout of his bed in the middle of the night, shor in his hand and after not being able to comply with the soldiers order to stand up, shot again at his foot. I have met that same old man when brought to me after crearing one of the houses of the Hamas forces in the refugee camp. He was slightly injured in his hand and had a scratch on his foot (absolutely not a bullet). The IDF soldiers have taken him to a secured station for taking care of the wounded where he was attended also by myself. One of the military doctors has identified a heart problem. We have suggested to take him to the "valley" hospital in Afula for treatment but he asked to be treated in the Jennin hospital since he doesn't speak Hebrew. After they refused to accept him we transferred him to the Afula Hospital where he remained for 3 days to treat his heart condition and anemia which he suffered from due of another chronic illness.
3. A person interviewed tells about a baby shot by a rifle bullet in the chest opening alarge hole in his back. According to the movie the baby died after the soldiers woudn't allow him to be evacuated to a hospital. Such a baby body has never been found. More than that, if such a wound has existed, it would have proven fatal and evacuation to a hospital wouldn't have saved his life. What is the name of this baby ? Where has his body disappeared ?
4. That same person tells how with his own finger he has "opened" a child an air passage through his neck after he was hit. Again, a total lie. Such an operation cannot be done with a finger. This "withness" tells also about people run over by tanks again and again till they were totally crushed. Never happend.
5. The movied mentions mass graves that the IDF dug for the Palestinian casualties. All international organisations inverstigating the subject has agreed that in Jennin there were only 52 Palestinian casualties and all bodies were transferred to the Palestinians for burial. Bakhri doesn't bother pointing out where those alleged moss graves are.
6. In the movie, they mention Israeli airplanes bombing the city. Never been any. To minimise civilian casualties only focused fire has been used by helicopters.
7. I should also mention that Bakhri wasn't there during the operation as has arrived to the area 2 weeks after. In the pictures he took, the center of the city is shown in ruins in a such a way that it seems much larger that it actually is and from the houses walls, all the Jihad graffities and Martyr pictures are missing (there were plenty of those during the operation).
The movie has also manipulatively used Tank pictures taken in other places and places them with pictures of Palestinian children.
As a rule of thumb, it is nothing but a vulgar manipulation even though well done.
I have watched the Mohammed Bakhri's movie "Jennin Jennin" in a limited forum with Jerusalem's sinematec director, Lia Van Leer and a few journalists.
In the end of the movie, I responded to it and pointed one by one at the lies and half truths. One of the attendants responded with rage "If you don't accept the facts in the movie, you propably don't understand a thing and how can you be a doctor at all ?". For a moment there I forgot I've actually been in Jennin last april, then served as the doctor of the brigade and that dignified viewer was at most fed ith roumors. Bakhri weaves together lies and half truths with such a skill that it becomes very hard not to be tempted by the distorted picture he creates.
I couldn't convince the sinematec's management to cancle the movie. I've been told that the pictures of ruined houses were authentic so there is truth in the movie and besides, the movie will be seen all over the world.
I was still invited for the premiere in Jerusalem and have arrived so I could explain my stand to the audience. Here are some points I wanted to share with the audience:
1. The Jennin's hospital director, Dr. Abu Rally, claims in the movie that the west wing of the hospital has been mombarded and destroyed and that the IDF (Israel Defence Force) has intentionally damaged water and electricity supply to the hospital. Well, such wing has never existed and no part of the hospital wasn't bombed or bombarded. The IDF soldiers never entered that defined area even though we knew it harbored some wanter terrorists. Water, electricity and oxygen supply to the hospital has been kept during the fighting and the IDF has helped with an emergency generator when the electricity supply of the city has been hurt. Bakhri himself is seen in the movie wandering through the clean and well maintained halls of the hospital but not in the bombarded wing. I have met him outside the cinema and asked whether he has visited the bombarded wing. At first he said no, and immediately corrected, "wait a minte, you remember the broken glass in the movie - it's from there". It's important to point out that this Abu Rally is one of the "trusted sources" in the claim of a "massacre". In the beginning of the operation he has been interviewed by the Al-Jesira network and talked about "thousands of casualties".
2. Another impressing part is an interview with a Jennin citizen, 75 years old crying and telling that he was pulle dout of his bed in the middle of the night, shor in his hand and after not being able to comply with the soldiers order to stand up, shot again at his foot. I have met that same old man when brought to me after crearing one of the houses of the Hamas forces in the refugee camp. He was slightly injured in his hand and had a scratch on his foot (absolutely not a bullet). The IDF soldiers have taken him to a secured station for taking care of the wounded where he was attended also by myself. One of the military doctors has identified a heart problem. We have suggested to take him to the "valley" hospital in Afula for treatment but he asked to be treated in the Jennin hospital since he doesn't speak Hebrew. After they refused to accept him we transferred him to the Afula Hospital where he remained for 3 days to treat his heart condition and anemia which he suffered from due of another chronic illness.
3. A person interviewed tells about a baby shot by a rifle bullet in the chest opening alarge hole in his back. According to the movie the baby died after the soldiers woudn't allow him to be evacuated to a hospital. Such a baby body has never been found. More than that, if such a wound has existed, it would have proven fatal and evacuation to a hospital wouldn't have saved his life. What is the name of this baby ? Where has his body disappeared ?
4. That same person tells how with his own finger he has "opened" a child an air passage through his neck after he was hit. Again, a total lie. Such an operation cannot be done with a finger. This "withness" tells also about people run over by tanks again and again till they were totally crushed. Never happend.
5. The movied mentions mass graves that the IDF dug for the Palestinian casualties. All international organisations inverstigating the subject has agreed that in Jennin there were only 52 Palestinian casualties and all bodies were transferred to the Palestinians for burial. Bakhri doesn't bother pointing out where those alleged moss graves are.
6. In the movie, they mention Israeli airplanes bombing the city. Never been any. To minimise civilian casualties only focused fire has been used by helicopters.
7. I should also mention that Bakhri wasn't there during the operation as has arrived to the area 2 weeks after. In the pictures he took, the center of the city is shown in ruins in a such a way that it seems much larger that it actually is and from the houses walls, all the Jihad graffities and Martyr pictures are missing (there were plenty of those during the operation).
The movie has also manipulatively used Tank pictures taken in other places and places them with pictures of Palestinian children.
As a rule of thumb, it is nothing but a vulgar manipulation even though well done.
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