The Thanksgiving season is about lots of things; being thankful for friends and family, enjoying a tasty meal with the people we love, and of course, whitewashing history by pretending colonizers and indigenous populations became pals over turkey (the worst edible bird). But this obsession with revisionist history isn’t just an American phenomenon.
The Israeli filmmaker Alon Schwarz has a new film coming out called “Tantura” which sheds light on a part of Palestinian history that’s regularly highlighted by Palestinians, but often ignored by Israel and the wider global audience. Tantura was a Palestinian beachside village near Haifa that was wiped off the map during the Nakba.
This article features an illuminating interview with the filmmaker, including the following quote:
“For Israelis, the founding myth is that the Palestinians just ran away by themselves. Israel is lying to itself. The Palestinians know the story. They’ve been talking about it, and the world has heard from them, but the world believes the Israeli side a lot of the times, and Israelis do not admit to this story. This is a story of Israel looking the other way.”
-Alon Schwarz, Israeli filmmaker
To say that Israel “looked the other way” is the same type of logic as “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”. Looking the other way is one thing, but the film tells the story, straight from the mouths of murderous soldiers, of what a violent expulsion looks like. Despite Israel’s best efforts to portray their origin story as one of heroism and bravery, “Tantura” is a reminder that the Jewish state came at a heavy price.
The film is made more vivid by featuring previously-unseen archival footage of the Nakba and modern-day forensic reconstruction of a long-erased mass grave turned into a parking lot. The film delves into individual memory and trauma as they contradict the narrative of a nation that has convinced itself of its unquestionable purity.
“We robbed them of their history. We not only ethnically cleansed them, took them out, denied their return, but we also robbed them of the true story. We robbed them of the right to remember, and that is terrible.”
-Alon Schwarz
Side Items
I Watched So You Can Also Maybe Watch: The French film “Athena”, available on Netflix, tells a wonderfully woven tale of four Arab brothers shattered by tragedy and their varying trauma responses. The filming style will get most of the hype, as the majority of the movie is shot in long, uninterrupted takes, but the storyline and action elements are honestly breathtaking. It’s a sad story, but I give it a 8/10
World Cup Recap
Justice was restored as Saudi Arabia lost 2-0 to Poland. Here’s hoping Mexico dominates them later this week and sends them straight back home
France was able to edge out Denmark 2-1 in a tightly-contested affair. Kylian Mbappe proved to be the difference maker, scoring both goals for Les Bleus
King Messi made his triumphant return against Mexico, as Argentina finally got their first victory of the tournament (2-0), keeping their hopes of advancing alive
Last week, Spain wrecked Costa Rica 7-0 and Japan took down Germany 2-1. Early this morning Costa Rica shocked Japan 1-0, proving once again that there’s no rhyme or reason to this contest, just sit back and embrace the chaos
Morocco held on to beat Belgium 2-0! This victory is a massive step in the right direction for my North African brothers, but sadly it probably spells the end for Belgium
Today’s Marquee Matchup: Germany take on Spain at 2pm EST, and the Germans are in desperate need of a victory, otherwise it’ll be back to the Fatherland for them