Israeli director Yuval Abraham Death Threats Over Ceasefire
Yuval Abraham (left) and Palestinian director Basel Adra (right) speak on stage after receiving the Berlinale film festival's documentary award for "No Other Land." John Macdougall/AFP/Getty Images
Just wanted to share something heavy that's been going on. Israeli journalist and film director Yuval Abraham and his Palestinian co-director Basel Adra recently faced a storm of backlash. They were at the Berlin International Film Festival, where they snagged the Best Documentary award for “No Other Land.” The film shines a light on the tough scenes of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank by Israeli forces.
But here’s where things turned dark. After their acceptance speech, which called out the harsh “situation of apartheid” and pleaded for peace in Gaza, they were hit with a wave of anger. Some pretty high-up folks in Germany and Israel, including Berlin’s mayor and Israel’s Ambassador to Germany, tossed accusations of antisemitism their way.
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Yuval shared on social media that things got scary real fast. A right-wing mob showed up at his family’s doorstep looking for him, leading to his family fleeing in fear. Yuval’s been receiving death threats and even had to cancel his flight back home. He’s standing firm on his call for equality, peace, and an end to apartheid, despite the backlash.
During their award speech, Basel mentioned the struggle of celebrating while witnessing the violence in Gaza. Yuval pointed out the stark differences in their daily lives due to the laws they're subjected to, simply because of where they live.
The reactions were swift. Berlin’s mayor and Israel’s Ambassador to Germany came down hard on their speech, calling it antisemitic and unacceptable. Yet, Yuval argues this misuse of the term "antisemitism" is dangerous. It’s silencing voices calling for peace and misrepresenting the true meaning of the word, putting people at risk globally.
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This whole situation is a lot to take in, especially when all they wanted was to spotlight the need for humanity and peace. Thoughts? If you’ve got something to say or need more info, don’t hold back. Let’s chat below, and feel free to share this around.
