After Being Censored: Israeli Film Board Approves Screenings of 1948 War Documentary
'1948 – Remember, Remember Not' presents both Israeli and Palestinian narratives on Israel's War of Independence. 'It's good to know that freedom of expression still exists in Israel,' says the film's director
Israel's film review council has approved the screening of the documentary "1948 – Remember, Remember Not" despite the opposition of a bereaved father and a veteran of a right-wing militia in the 1948 war.
"It's good to know that freedom of expression still exists in Israel and that the film and theater review council came to its senses," said Neta Shoshani, the documentary's director. "All that's left now is to show the film on the public broadcasting corporation's [channel] Kan 11. We hope that the council's approval will give the corporation a boost and encourage it to broadcast the film soon."
Benjamin Netanyahu's government is pushing a bill to privatize the public broadcaster. The documentary "1948," which was produced with Kan's support, explores the War of Independence through the testimonies of both Jews and Arabs. It has been approved for viewers age 16 and over.
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Schlomo Goldhour, the former fighter in the Irgun militia, had told the council Monday that the film contained lies and slander against Israeli soldiers and bereaved families.
Itzik Fitusi also gave testimony to the council Monday; Fitussi is the father of Staff Sgt. Yishay Fitusi, who was killed at Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the day of Hamas' October 2023 attack.
Mika Timor, the documentary's co-producer, told the council that the public itself should decide whether the film should be seen. She said that especially at a time when Israeli democracy was under threat, freedom of expression should not be undermined.
Hagit Ben-Yaakov and Lior Tamam of the Israeli Documentary Filmmakers Forum said that it was natural for a democratic country to reopen old wounds and reexamine its history through film. The risk that someone might feel harmed by a movie was no reason to ban it, they said.
The film review council made headlines in recent weeks when it blocked screenings of films on the 1947-49 War of Independence and the Palestinian Nakba during the war, when more than 700,000 Arabs in the country fled or were expelled from their homes.
The film "Lyd," which was scheduled to be shown in Jaffa last month, was canceled after Culture Minister Miki Zohar urged the police to block the event on the grounds that it had not been approved by the council as required under a 1927 ordinance.
Early this month, the council warned the heads of two Cinematheques not to screen "1948" on the grounds that it had not received approval. The film's airing on Kan 11 has been repeatedly delayed since its premiere at Israel's Docaviv film festival last year.
The two controversies marked the first time the council had sought to ban a screening in a movie theater since the Supreme Court's 2003 ruling on Mohammad Bakri's film "Jenin, Jenin." In overturning the council's blocking of that documentary, the court ruled that "the council is not authorized to restrict political or ideological expressions even if the government or the majority of the public disagree with them."
Then-Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner wrote that "the council is not authorized to decide what is true or false, it is not equipped with the necessary tools to do so and does not have a monopoly on the truth."
Since that decision, the council has focused on setting viewership ages for films shown in cinemas.
"Though the council sympathizes with the pain and disapproves of some of the claims made in the film, its authority is limited," the Culture Ministry said in response to the decision. "The council is not authorized to discuss the truth or correctness of claims. In addition, the council recognizes the importance of freedom of expression even when it concerns outrageous and controversial statements.
"It should also be noted that the council debated whether there was a case for approving the screening of the film during a difficult and painful time of war. However, after examining all the circumstances, including the fact that the council's authority concerns the approval of commercial screenings only ... it was found that this is not a case that justifies a ban on screening.
"It should be clarified that the council disapproves of various allegations raised in the film and the way they were presented. It should be understood that the approval of the screening does not express agreement with the content of the film or confirm its content or the truth of what is claimed in it."
Zohar, the culture minister, opposed the council's decision.
"This is a delusional and absurd decision," he said in a statement. "It is absurd that a disgraceful film that presents heroic IDF soldiers as murderers and rapists is financed from the pockets of Israeli citizens and with full legal backing. This is another reason, among many, that "the judicial reform" – the government's effort to weaken the judiciary – "must be completed."
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