Conflict sparks film series

Last week, the Atwood Little Theatre was home to a three-day film Series titled “Confronting Israeli Apartheid.”

Amber Michel, a fifth year sociology student at SCSU, was the host and facilitator.

Numerous documentaries were shown, including “Occupation 101,” “Jerusalem: East Side Story,” “The Israel Lobby” and “Slingshot Hip Hop.”

All the films focused on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, its ongoing impact on the Palestinian people, and the continuing role the United States plays in the conflict.

The titles were chosen based on Michel’s own preferences as well as on suggestions from her friends and colleagues.

After each film, Michel facilitated discussions where many issues dealing with the conflict were addressed.

Fouzi Slisli, a professor with the Human Rights and Multicultural Education Department at SCSU, attended multiple films.

Slisli travelled to various areas within occupied Palestine this summer and was able to discuss some of his experiences after viewing the films.

“I think the situation for the Palestinians has never been worse, because they are put in a situation that is only worsening,” Slisli said.

Slisli outlined the aspects of Palestinian life and said they continue to worsen due to Israeli presence such as access to schools, land appropriation, blockades, the demolition of homes, freedom to worship and access to water.

“Water is probably to most important issue because Palestinians are traditionally agriculturists, farmers, but their fields are all dry,” Slisli said. “They don’t have water even to drink. Israel controls all the water sources.”

“This policy of dispossessing the Palestinians of the their land, house by house, dunam by dunam, square meter by square meter, is continuing unabated,” Slisli said. “And in the face of this, the Palestinians are becoming more and more disillusioned with the prospect of peace, or with the prospect of living with Israelis and Jews as equals in their one state. It doesn’t look good.”

Slisli also addressed what he said he believes to be shaping public opinion of the conflict in the U.S. and how it makes the situation in the region worse.

“The current situation in the Middle East, not just the Israel–Palestine conflict, but the entire Middle East. What makes the situation worse is the fact that there is a huge level of ignorance here in the U.S., on the part of the public.”

Slisli said he believes the U.S. public still views people from the Middle East based on stereotypes.

“For 60 years they have been running the story that Palestinians and Arabs are terrorists and Israel is the victim in this, but the reality is challenging their story now,” Slisli said.

Michel agreed that the Palestinian story is often overlooked in the U.S.

“What we get to see here is angry Arab burning flag. It is never presented in the context that these people [the Palestinians] are very angry because they are being militarily occupied by a foreign military,” Michel said.

Michel said she believes the U.S. media portrays the two sides as being equals.

“They are completely unequal. One is a huge, wealthy, military, occupying power, and one is a weaponless, indigenous people, and we are bank rolling one of them.”

In addition to the films, Hillary Cooperman, a grad student from Northwestern, gave a theatrical performance showcasing her jump into Palestinian activism. After, she discussed what she hoped to achieve with the performance.

“I want it to be a huge confrontation, a wake up call,” Cooperman said. “It’s people dying, people can’t go to work, people can’t get past a blockade, kids can’t go to school. Things like that affect people every single day that I want people to be aware of. I want to end the occupation.”

Michel said she felt compelled to host the film series after also traveling to different destinations around Israel and occupied Palestine this past summer.

“I wanted to do this film series because of two main reasons. One: no one is talking about the Palestinian narrative in the U.S. first of all, and certainly not on this campus.

Michel said the second reason was because people in Palestine requested that she go home and tell people about what they had to say.

“It is the least I can do,” Cooperman said. “I am doing it and I am going to keep doing it.”