Returning to the same subject, Gillian Mosely presents Planet Israel, a valuable personal documentary about the Israel/Palestine conflict. The film argues that Israelis are asked to accept a 'forever war,' in part motivated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's desire to defer investigation into corruption allegations.
Overview of the Documentary
Gillian Mosely has produced a follow-up to her earlier documentary The Tinderbox, which explored the Israel/Palestine conflict and how, as a Jewish person, she came to sympathize with the Palestinians. This new film returns to the same subject, reiterating her argument that since the antisemitic pogrom of October 7, Netanyahu has normalized a cruel, callous, and paranoid political culture within an administration that relies on far-right elements to stay in power. This strategy indefinitely defers any legal pursuit of Netanyahu's alleged corruption and cronyism. Mosely contends that civilian deaths in Gaza constitute an international scandal. Furthermore, she asserts that all Israeli citizens, both hawks and doves, are being asked to accept a 'forever war' as a mark of patriotic loyalty, perpetuating an eternal state of bloodshed.
Critical Analysis
Mosely's point is perfectly admissible, though complicated by the fact that Israel indeed has neighbors that deny its right to exist—fundamental, existential statehood enmities not faced by Putin, Xi, Trump, or other strongmen with whom Netanyahu is often bracketed. However, at a later stage in the film, Mosely damages her own argument with a glib and naive statement that all this 'fuels antisemitism.' This equation comes close to inviting Jews worldwide to blame themselves for anti-Jewish bigotry. (It is not similarly permissible to shrug and say that Hamas 'fuels Islamophobia' or that Xi 'fuels anti-Chinese racism.') Nevertheless, as before, Mosely has relevant things to say about a horrendous situation that Netanyahu's ban on foreign journalists in Gaza is designed to mask.
Release Information
Planet Israel is in UK and Irish cinemas from June 5.
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