In Israel, 43 organizations supported the creators of the documentary NAZA
In Israel, 43 human rights, equality and peacebuilding organizations issued a joint statement in support of NAZA documentary creators Yuval Avraham and Rachel Szor. They called on Israeli authorities to stop threatening the filmmakers, not to revoke their citizenship and not to legally persecute them or their sources, the Jerusalem Post reports.
The negative reaction to the film's creators intensified after NAZA won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The creators also released a promotional video in which an anonymous Israel Defense Forces servicemember spoke about the use of artificial intelligence software to identify targets during the Gaza campaign.
Statement by the organizations
The participants in the joint statement described the institutional response to the film and threats against its creators as characteristic of dictatorial regimes. They emphasized that citizenship is a fundamental right, while freedom of speech and freedom of the press are important components of the struggle for democracy.
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The organizations also stated that persecution and attempts to silence dissenters are not limited to one person or a separate issue. At the same time, most representatives of the organizations that signed the statement have not yet seen the film, as it has not been released in full.
Calls for an investigation
The statement says that the claims raised in NAZA require an investigation. The signatories referred to the Israel Defense Forces' estimate of approximately 70,000 deaths in Gaza and called for the claims presented in the film to be thoroughly examined. They also advocated allowing independent journalists to work in Gaza.
Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar called the film “horrific” and “an act of betrayal of the state.” In a post on X, he said he intended to immediately take steps to revoke the citizenship of NAZA's creators. Earlier, more than a thousand Israeli filmmakers signed a petition supporting Avraham and Szor, warning that hostility surrounding the film could threaten the directors' physical safety.
