We finally got a chance to watch the controversial film Munich last night with the Jameeds, Beisan, and another friend. After the movie each of us had a different opinion. We could not really agree on whether the movie was balanced or not. I personally thought the movie was very well-made and did a decent job portraying both sides of the bloody Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I thought the movie’s message was targeted more towards Israelis, as it was highly critical of the actions of Mossad’s killing machine and the blind patriotism that exits amidst Israeli society. One particular quote that stood out was from Carl, a skeptical Mossad agent: "Israel was not created by being nice." Another quote of note was that from a trigger-happy Mossad agent who remarked that the only thing that matters to him is Jewish blood.
One thing I liked about the movie was that unlike many other Hollywood movies, Palestinians were portrayed as human and not just these blood-thirsty terrorists. They were shown as refined, highly cultured, and family-oriented. The film also questioned the involvement of the targeted Palestinians in the actual killing of Israeli athletes in Munich.
Blogger Angry Arab believes that the majority of those assassinated "had nothing to do with Munich" and that the movie failed miserably in showing their innocence. I tend to agree with Angry Arab that the alleged Palestinian involvement should have been dissected more thoroughly. Although the movie made sure to present the Palestinian side of the story, I thought it was shown a bit hastily and not given enough prominence. For someone unaware of the conflict, the Palestinian side of the story might not have been made clear enough.
The movie was also highly informative for me personally. One interesting bit was seeing Ehud Barak dressed as a woman while pursuing PLO fedayeen in Beirut. The movie’s final message: Violence breeds violence and tit-for-tat policies only result in more bloodshed. Overall, I thought the movie was very good and I’d give it a score of 8/10. Here are some reactions from the blogosphere: Angry Arab, Palforce, and Egyptian Sandmonkey.
‘Munich,’ the Travesty By Charles Krauthammer
“The only true part of the story is the few minutes spent on the massacre. The rest is invention, as Spielberg delicately puts it in the opening credits, “inspired by real events.””
See the whole article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/12/AR2006011201541.html
Fine, I will admit that there are Palestinian terrorists who are “refined, cultured, and highly educated.”
Does that make them any less terrorists? Do you think the man whose pregnant wife and 5 children were shot at point-blank range in their car a few years ago really cares how refined and cultured their murderers were?
Should we give a pass to terrorists who have a BA and appreciate Van Gogh?
And excuse me, “the Palestinian side?” What side is that- the one whose acts of terrorism have killed any chance of peace in the Middle East? The one who holds the lives of their sons in so little regard that they happily send them off the be suicide bombers? The side which has been offered chance after chance to have its own state but has either refused to deal with the Israelis or has refused to stop the terrorism?
Or is it the side that receives more international aid per capita than any other country in the world, but instead of investing it worthwhile causes chooses to instead buy bombs, suicide belts, fund summer camps that teach children to become terrorists, and print maps devoid of the word “Israel” and schoolbooks that teach children to hate, hate, hate anything and everything Jewish.
I know you’re an Arab so you can’t be expected to root for the Israelis, but I admit I expected more from a seemingly liberal, educated woman.
By the way, your own King Hussein said:
“Since 1948 Arab leaders have approached the Palestine problem in an irresponsible manner…. they have used the Palestine people for selfish political purposes. This is ridiculous and,
I could say, even criminal.”
This quote is from 1960, long before he made peace with Israel. A quick Google search will show you that many Arab leaders agree with him.
I would urge you to consider that it is not Israel which has put the Palestinians in their current position, but rather their own rotten leadership.