Protest held in New York against screening of NAZA film — Jerusalem Post
In New York, United States, dozens of Israelis and American Jews held a protest outside Lincoln Center, where the film NAZA was screened as part of the New York Film Festival. The protest organizers said they opposed how the film portrays the war in Gaza, the Jerusalem Post reports.
Footage of the October 7 attack
The event was organized by the Israeli-American Council. LED screens mounted on small trucks showed excerpts from the documentary October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre. It contains footage of the October 7 attack on Israel, including videos filmed by Hamas militants during the attack.
The screens also displayed materials that, according to the organizers, contradict certain claims in the film, as well as questions concerning its sources, methodology, and production. The Israeli-American Council said it sought to remind people about the events of October 7 and prevent them from being excluded from the narrative of the war.
Participants and statements from the Israeli side
Representatives of the Israeli-American and Jewish communities of New York and New Jersey took part in the protest. Among them were Rom El-Hai and Shelev Biton, who survived the attack on the Nova festival, as well as Israeli Bedouin Younes Al-Garnawi. According to the publication, on October 7 he saved dozens of people, including festival participants.
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Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, said that the campaign was conducted by the Israeli consulate in cooperation with the country's Foreign Ministry. He accused the filmmakers of spreading defamation against the Israeli military and the state.
The film was made by Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, with Rachel Shore and Hamdan Ballal serving as co-directors. The film presents testimonies from 24 service members and intelligence personnel about the conduct of hostilities in Gaza. The protest organizers believe that the film does not take into account information that contradicts some of its claims and does not sufficiently cover the Hamas attack of October 7.
The Israel Defense Forces separately rejected claims that Israeli troops allegedly planned, authorized, or carried out a strike in Gaza in which they expected 500 civilians to be killed. The military called the claim false and said it has no reliable evidence.
