Jenin, Jenin

Movie clearly shows the truth of whats happening in Gaza. Five Israeli reserve soldiers suing an Israeli Arab film director they accuse of libeling troops who fought in the battle for the Jenin refugee camp, they accuse Mohammad Bakri of libelously portraying them and their comrades as war criminals in the film Jenin, Jenin, which was recently banned in Israel.

The soldiers are also suing two Israeli cinemas which screened it after its October release, demanding about half-a-million dollars. One of the reservists told the Israeli newspaper.

TRUTH HURTS!

This award winning documentary is definitely worth the watch, finally someone has the guts to portray what really goes on behind closed doors.. this movie really exposes Israel's war crimes and consistent policy of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people. It's a very sad movie that really makes you realize what's important in your life and how truly bad, the world we live in, is. I recommend this movie to everyone who wants to open their minds and understand where Palestinians are really coming from and why they fight for what they believe in, now how many of us can really say that? Literally?

In 2002, April 3rd through 12th, the population OF Jenin, a Palestinian refugee camp and home to some 14 000 people living under strict military curfew, was exposed to a merciless assault by Israeli soldiers, tanks, armored bulldozers, and helicopters. Much of the camp was shot and blown to hell, while an area the size of several football fields in the centre of town was completely leveled, purportedly the gravesite of many hundreds of people. That is the clear aftermath. The exact details of the occupation are still debated, accounts varying from "the Palestinians asked for it" (Israel) to claims of generally bloodthirsty behavior on the part of Israeli soldiers (Palestinians, Red Cross workers, and just about any outsider who's visited the site). "Jenin Jenin" is a documentary lending voice to Jenin's survivors wishing to participate in that debate (which ended up costing it's director his life).

Through "Jenin Jenin", you'll take a stroll though the rubble. You'll listen to shattered people give accounts of brutal murder of their kin that are so horrid, you'll have trouble believing them because you cannot wrap your mind around such carnage being perpetrated by mere men. Except that at one point, you'll see footage apparently shot during the occupation -- footage of captives lined up on the ground and run down by an armoured vehicle. You'll see a young girl with a disturbing cold gaze, and come to understand just how deep her hate for Israel already runs. Ten years old at most, she pledges to do all she can to destroy Israeli lives.

In the end, you'll either declare it all bulls**t, believe the Israeli claims that whatever happened, the Palestinians asked for it, and I'll call you a flaming moron, or you'll want to do something about it but find you can't, your government won't, and you'll hate the world.

This film by an Israeli Arab and partially funded by the P.L.O. seeks to tell the story of what happened in April 2002 in Jenin. The movie is entirely one-sided, and unfortunately a complete exaggeration of the truth. It is interesting to see, because it shows you how Jenin looks and how the people in this city are. It's really confusing because most Westerners think a refugee-camp is just tents but this is a full-fledged city. The movie plays on the media's depiction of events as a "massacre" but the official death count is not stated nor is it alluded to in the film. The film starts more moderate but soon we see anti-Bush and anti-Semetic undertones. It is very unfortunate that the truth could not be told about this event in the film because it is tragic that this conflict continues. Please after viewing this film watch The Road to Jenin by Pierre Rehov, which counter argues every point made in this film including key testimony.

One of the best documentaries i have seen. Engages both sides to allow the viewer to freely make his opinion without coercion or bias. The director simply allows those who lived that time to tell their story and let the facts stand on their own. Gives the foreign viewer a unique look at the seeds of the conflicts as never addressed before in other movies. Written in a nice witty manner. Enjoyed every second of it. The script is supported with lots of never seen visual footage. It brings us back to a period of time which gives us the hind sight of 20/20. The director allows both sides to bring several points of view. A very critical time in the arab israel history and this DVD clears much of the controversy that prevailed.