Emad shows it all. The film shows his son growing up, from baby to schoolboy, in between the protests. It also shows Emad's wife begging him to stop. Emad was arrested and seriously injured. One of his relatives was killed. All the organizers in the village were imprisoned again and again. So were their Israeli comrades. I testified at several of the trials in the military court, located in a large military prison camp.
The Israeli protesters are barely seen in the film. But right from the beginning, Jews played an important part in the protests. The main Israeli participants are the "Anarchists against the Wall," a very courageous and creative group. (Gush Shalom activist Adam Keller is shown in a close-up, trying out a passive resistance technique he had learned in Germany. Somehow it did not work. Perhaps you need German police for it.)
If the film does not do full justice to the Israeli and international protesters, that is quite understandable. The aim was to showcase the Palestinian non-violent resistance.
In the course of the struggle, one of Emad's cameras after another was broken. He is now wielding camera No. 6.
THIS IS a story of heroism, the heroic struggle of simple villagers for their lands and their country.
Long after Limor Livnat will be forgotten, people will remember the Battle of Bil'in.
President Barack Obama would be well advised to see this film before his forthcoming visit to Israel and Palestine.
Some years ago, I was asked to make the laudatory speech at a Berlin ceremony, in which the village of Bil'in and the "Anarchists against the Wall" were decorated for their courage.
Slightly paraphrasing President John Kennedy's famous speech in Berlin, I proposed that every decent person in the world should proudly proclaim: "Ich bin ein Bil'iner!"
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
