‘Palestine 36’ is a potent reminder that the blueprint for Israel's depraved war crimes in Gaza were laid down by a British empire whose tyranny the Palestinians tried - and failed - to end
Thanks for referring me to this article based on the film we just saw last night. I should add that I am a retired teacher of English Literature and evaluated the film as art as well as politics. It is when the two are combined that the most powerful stories are told........messages in a bottle, or time capsule....
PALESTINE 36 is a cinematographic masterpiece.
That it also takes us back to a part of his story that we don't want to hear in the 'liberal west' is just the icing on the cake. Like that metephorical cake, its the icing that can make you sick.
I felt that sickness at the end of the movie, as the gorgeous teen Palestinian girl ran into the city. She didn't have a chance, but everything in her cried out that she deserved one. Western Imperialism has a long shadow.......it has crippled the heart and blurred the eyesight of many of us.........good people wanting only the best for our common future...........but utterly ignorant of th4e reasons why our chances aren't good.
Thank you so much Jonathan, for nevertheless trying to tell that true, tragic story.
Excellent article Jonathon. I've recently finished reading 'A Line in the Sand' by James Barr. A forensic study of the grubby efforts by the British and French to further their own ends
Jonathan, this excellent piece brought to mind the podcast conversation we had with Anne-Marie Jacir, the filmmaker of Palestine 36. In our podcast episode, we dug into how British colonial history and Zionism have shaped what's happening today in Gaza. It's hard to ignore how the same brutal tactics used then are familiar now, and in fact, were handed over ready to use. The pain, the resistance, and the cycles of violence—it's all connected, and as you point out, the historical context is essential for understanding the current situation.
Even though, had we the heart and the writ we imagine we have in the privileged west, we wouldn't need to know any of this history to know what has been happening since Oct 23 is a genocide, a crime against humanity, and something we all should have stood up against.
That most of us didn't is the horror history will record of us. Dumbed down in many ways, but still the obedient children of cruel empire.
Anyone who treats others as though yhey are not human are failing to see they themswlves are not actully fully conscious beings... to judge others as though they are not human or not conscious will be the downfall of those who judge... i mean really, there are those out there who are still unaware other animals, birds, reptiles etc have a consciousness and an awareness.
I hope people read your work and wake up to how everyone has been manipulated, for so long
You say : "It was British officials who ushered Jews out of Europe – where they were unwanted by racist governments, including Britain’s – to implant them in Palestine."
Aversion towards Jews is not a racial issue. The problem lies right in Jewish ideology and the "western business". Most of the society and the Jews them self believe they are from there... Shouldn't someone make the record straight and explain it to them, in order to end the confusion ones for all, that they are not Judeans ? That's where I would start if I really wanted to fix anything... They are not even Semites.
The same people that screw up Palestine, screwed the Brits... The source of the problem lies in Judaism itself... "The restrictions on Jewish rights in pre-revolutionary Russia were not because of their ethnicity, but because Jewish policies being a threat to state security, as well as a threat to the security of the Jews themselves."
From 200 Years Together - Chapter 8, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
More important than ever! The work that the Hind Rajab Foundation is doing will continue to be vital in tracking down and bringing the culprits to justice. This is an ongoing project and worthy of support. Let’s hope they may soon turn their sights on the corporate and governmental accomplices in the west.
The film is a vital piece of historical recollection and you sum up its importance really well in your closing:
"The truth is we cannot look to our government, schools or our media to educate us about British colonial history, whether in Palestine or in any of the other places around the globe Britain has tyrannised.
Instead, we must start listening to the victims of our violence, if we are ever to understand not just the past, but the present too...."
Thanks for referring me to this article based on the film we just saw last night. I should add that I am a retired teacher of English Literature and evaluated the film as art as well as politics. It is when the two are combined that the most powerful stories are told........messages in a bottle, or time capsule....
PALESTINE 36 is a cinematographic masterpiece.
That it also takes us back to a part of his story that we don't want to hear in the 'liberal west' is just the icing on the cake. Like that metephorical cake, its the icing that can make you sick.
I felt that sickness at the end of the movie, as the gorgeous teen Palestinian girl ran into the city. She didn't have a chance, but everything in her cried out that she deserved one. Western Imperialism has a long shadow.......it has crippled the heart and blurred the eyesight of many of us.........good people wanting only the best for our common future...........but utterly ignorant of th4e reasons why our chances aren't good.
Thank you so much Jonathan, for nevertheless trying to tell that true, tragic story.
Thank you for this piece, translated in French here : https://zanzibar.substack.com/p/le-soulevement-contre-le-colonialisme
John
Perfidious Albion, famous globally, for promoting 'english values', has much to answer for.
Excellent article Jonathon. I've recently finished reading 'A Line in the Sand' by James Barr. A forensic study of the grubby efforts by the British and French to further their own ends
Jonathan, this excellent piece brought to mind the podcast conversation we had with Anne-Marie Jacir, the filmmaker of Palestine 36. In our podcast episode, we dug into how British colonial history and Zionism have shaped what's happening today in Gaza. It's hard to ignore how the same brutal tactics used then are familiar now, and in fact, were handed over ready to use. The pain, the resistance, and the cycles of violence—it's all connected, and as you point out, the historical context is essential for understanding the current situation.
Even though, had we the heart and the writ we imagine we have in the privileged west, we wouldn't need to know any of this history to know what has been happening since Oct 23 is a genocide, a crime against humanity, and something we all should have stood up against.
That most of us didn't is the horror history will record of us. Dumbed down in many ways, but still the obedient children of cruel empire.
Excellent research and superbly written Jonathan. Thank you for your unrelenting work for truth and justice. This needs to be shared to the max.
Brilliant Jonathan 👏👏👏
Brilliant journalism...
Anyone who treats others as though yhey are not human are failing to see they themswlves are not actully fully conscious beings... to judge others as though they are not human or not conscious will be the downfall of those who judge... i mean really, there are those out there who are still unaware other animals, birds, reptiles etc have a consciousness and an awareness.
I hope people read your work and wake up to how everyone has been manipulated, for so long
You say : "It was British officials who ushered Jews out of Europe – where they were unwanted by racist governments, including Britain’s – to implant them in Palestine."
Aversion towards Jews is not a racial issue. The problem lies right in Jewish ideology and the "western business". Most of the society and the Jews them self believe they are from there... Shouldn't someone make the record straight and explain it to them, in order to end the confusion ones for all, that they are not Judeans ? That's where I would start if I really wanted to fix anything... They are not even Semites.
In my humble opinion the British screwed the world. Shame on them.
The same people that screw up Palestine, screwed the Brits... The source of the problem lies in Judaism itself... "The restrictions on Jewish rights in pre-revolutionary Russia were not because of their ethnicity, but because Jewish policies being a threat to state security, as well as a threat to the security of the Jews themselves."
From 200 Years Together - Chapter 8, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
More important than ever! The work that the Hind Rajab Foundation is doing will continue to be vital in tracking down and bringing the culprits to justice. This is an ongoing project and worthy of support. Let’s hope they may soon turn their sights on the corporate and governmental accomplices in the west.
Support the Hind Rajab Foundation
https://donate.stripe.com/cN228hbY5g7jaM84gg
As a Scots/Irish woman, my own history illustrates the brutality of British colonial ism
As a Scot I second that. It's no fun when your produce is sent to England then sold back to you - making a profit out of growing nothing for them.
The film is a vital piece of historical recollection and you sum up its importance really well in your closing:
"The truth is we cannot look to our government, schools or our media to educate us about British colonial history, whether in Palestine or in any of the other places around the globe Britain has tyrannised.
Instead, we must start listening to the victims of our violence, if we are ever to understand not just the past, but the present too...."
Thank You Jonathan
BEAUTIFUL !!!
As ever, a brilliant, insightful and courageous piece. Thank you so much Jonathan Cook for all that you do.