Promises - Must see documentary about Israeli and Palestinian children

Bicky

This documentary by B.Z. Goldberg follows the lives of a group of seven children living in Israel over the space of three years.The group is a mixture of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli jews and they share their opinions of each other and the possibility of peace.
B.z. was born in America and later studied there yet he grew up in Israel. In my opinion it is this American side to B.Z. which makes the film so moving. The Palestinian children see him not as an Israeli but as a friend. B.Z. shows us Palestinian refugee camps, Israeli settlements in the West Bank and neighbourhoods in Jerusalem where children who live just minutes apart lead very different lives. The naive and ultimately inherited viewpoints really drive home the loathsome reality of the troubles in the middle east. Hate breeds hate.

The film also has a follow up which takes place four years later. In this we see how the lives of five of the original seven children have changed.

This documentary is EXCELLENT and i urge everyone to see it.

Imdb

slipss

Yeah I watched this last night, I wasn't sure about it to begin with but even though I was exhausted and it was on from 12.40 to 2.20 I really found it compelling and had to watch it to the end. It was really well shot and the way it showed the changing opinions of the children over the course of the documentary was great. Without giving too much away, towards the end B.Z suggests that the Palestinian kids invite two of the Isrealis into the refugee camp where they live to get to know them better. After talking to them on the phone the Palestinian kid, Faraj I think his name was, invites them over and there are some very moving and poignant scenes that follow. More four usually repeat these things a few times so if you missed it last night you should keep your eyes open for the repeat.

I want to comment on a few more aspects of the documentary but I don't have a clue how to make those spoiler things where you can highlight it if you want to read it, and I don't want to ruin it for anyone that wants to see it, So if anyone would be kind enough to tell me how to make spoilers it would be greatly appreciated.

Bicky

Hi slipss. I am glad to see someone else seen and appreciated this documentary. Did you also see the follow on?

Faraj is now living in America and the difference is increrdible. Yarko and daniel, the naive jewish twins are now 18 and serving time in the Israeli army. Right now they could well be returning from Lebanon.

Example of a spoiler
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Ivan

Yeah, I caught the end of this last night on E4+1. Rather excellent and moving documentary. The ending where

the Palestinian kid (sorry I cant remember his name but I think it was Faraj) was talking about when B.Z. left and they would stop being friends with the Jewish twins, and then the camera moved to each person to show their reaction.

They all seemed extremely well educated despite the turmoil and seeming poverty...

Anyway, a very excellent documentary that I'd highly recommend to others.

slipss

Thanks for that.

Yeah I saw the follow on.

yeah I couldn't believe how much of an American accent Faraj had. I thought it was a shame they only got to interview one of the Jewish twins, and that he felt that it would be too inapropriate to meet Faraj and the others again, but I could see his point. Hopefully B.Z will go back again in a couple of years when the two brothers will be finished there military service. I would really like to see them all together again and to see if they would still connect so easily now that they aren't young children anymore.

Bicky

Hello Ivan. Its been a while.

Ivan wrote:

They all seemed extremely well educated despite the turmoil and seeming poverty...

Israel is a wealthy country with low unemployment and strong technology, military, software and pharmaceuticals industries. It is not just military aid which they are recieving from the US.
According to wikipedia 24% of the Israeli workforce hold university degrees so they obviously have a very strong emphasis on education. Unfortunately it seems that this high level of education does not make them any less brutal or any more diplomatic.

I have to admit i have been fairly ignorant with regards to the middle east crisis and its origins but the more i read about it the more i understand the fundamentalists and their hatred of Israel and consequently the western world.
Israel is the only democracy in the middle east so should i be expected, as a citizen of a democratic state, to believe the views of big media and support them?

I try to think impartially about the conflict but i cannot when i read the injustices of the apartheid zionist state of Israel or see the pig headed ignorance of their political leaders during television interviews.
I believe they are the real "terrorists".
Like i said i am still fairly ignorant so please someone tell me if i am wrong????

JP

Bicky

Bicky wrote:

Hello Ivan. Its been a while.



Israel is a wealthy country with low unemployment and strong technology, military, software and pharmaceuticals industries. It is not just military aid which they are recieving from the US.
According to wikipedia 24% of the Israeli workforce hold university degrees so they obviously have a very strong emphasis on education. Unfortunately it seems that this high level of education does not make them any less brutal or any more diplomatic.

I have to admit i have been fairly ignorant with regards to the middle east crisis and its origins but the more i read about it the more i understand the fundamentalists and their hatred of Israel and consequently the western world.

Israel is the only democracy in the middle east so should i be expected, as a citizen of a democratic state, to believe the views of big media and support them?

I try to think impartially about the conflict but i cannot when i read the injustices of the apartheid zionist state of Israel or see the pig headed ignorance of their political leaders during television interviews.
I believe they are the real "terrorists".
Like i said i am still fairly ignorant so please someone tell me if i am wrong????

JP

I think your opinions are wrong. I have no time for fundamentalists or their desire to wipe out the Jews.

But either way I know you are on the wrong site as this is more suitable for Politics.

Ivan

To be totally honest, if that documentary showed me anything, its that both sides are equally wrong.

The sins of the father should not be passed to the son, but it is. Therein lies the problem. It just continues on the cycle.

Regardless of which side started it, there is always a way out of it, besides blowing up innocent women and children. And lets face it folks, both sides are guilty of that.

Furthermore, Conor74, when you get to be moderator of the television forum, you can tell us what we can and cant discuss here. If a moderator feels we are crossing over the boundaries for this dicussion, I'm sure s/he can move the thread to politics. Thanks for your advice though...

Ivan

Ivan wrote:

Furthermore, Conor74, when you get to be moderator of the television forum, you can tell us what we can and cant discuss here. If a moderator feels we are crossing over the boundaries for this dicussion, I'm sure s/he can move the thread to politics. Thanks for your advice though...

Okay, let's discuss politics and ignore the fact that there is a site for it and a board policy. Presumably, if I were object to a racist remark you would get all excited and say that's none of my business either because only moderators can observe the site policy?

Anyway, getting back off topic. The world will be a safer place when every Hezbollah terrorist is wiped off the earth. Discuss.

Bicky

ivan wrote:

To be totally honest, if that documentary showed me anything, its that both sides are equally wrong.

I didnt leave it with the same opinion. The Palestinians are the subjugated people. Driven to desperation and hatred.

Deleted User wrote:

The world will be a safer place when every Hezbollah terrorist is wiped off the earth. Discuss.

True. I doubt many people would disagree the world will be a safer place without Hezbollah, or any terrorist organisation.