Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comparison of the impact of the Naza documentary to dozens of ballistic missiles being fired at Israel drew a response from Yuval Abraham, one of the film’s directors. Abraham described Netanyahu’s remarks as “dangerous and irrational.”
Abraham said the comments would not silence the documentary’s producers or the Israeli officers and soldiers who appear in the film. The director spoke in an interview with the Haaretz newspaper on Saturday; the interview was conducted before the film’s screening at the New York Film Festival, and Haaretz said it planned to publish the full interview on Sunday.
The documentary features testimonies from 24 Israeli officers
Naza examines the intelligence system and target-selection mechanisms used by the Israeli army in airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. The production is based on testimonies from 24 officers and soldiers from the Israeli army and intelligence service whose identities were concealed.
According to the producers, the film’s title comes from an abbreviation used by Israeli intelligence officials to refer to the estimated number of civilians who could die in an airstrike.
New York screening follows Venice award
Naza received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival on September 12. Following its screening at the festival, the film was applauded for approximately 25 minutes.
The documentary is being screened as part of the New York Film Festival. The producers announced that Naza would later be screened in dozens of countries and made available for free online access in November.
Pressure and accusations against the directors
Following the film’s release, criticism of its directors also intensified in Israel. Culture Minister Miki Zohar called for the citizenship of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Zohar to be revoked and accused the two directors of “treason.”
Netanyahu said he intended to advance legislation that would allow the citizenship of Israeli army soldiers and people accused of damaging Israel’s reputation to be revoked.
Abraham and Zohar faced threats. Graffiti calling the two directors “traitors” was also seen in the city of Ashdod.
Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir described Naza as an attack on Israel and said the army would use all the means at its disposal against the elements featured in the documentary. Zamir also ordered a legal investigation into the sources of the testimonies in the film.
