#politics #art #film #festival #berlinale #antisemitism #censorship #mccarthyism #repression #intimidation #israel #right-wing-mob
Filmmaker Yuval Abraham: Death threats after accusations by German politicians
On Tuesday evening, Israeli filmmaker Yuval Abraham ("No Other Land") reported on X about threats against himself and his family following accusations of anti-Semitism by German politicians after his Berlinale appearance:
'A right-wing Israeli mob came to my family's house yesterday looking for me, threatening close family members who fled to another city in the middle of the night. I am still receiving death threats and had to cancel my flight home. This happened after Israeli media and German politicians absurdly labeled my award speech at the Berlinale - in which I called for equal rights between Israelis and Palestinians, a ceasefire and an end to apartheid - as "anti-Semitic". The appalling misuse of this word by Germans, not only to silence Palestinian critics of Israel, but also to silence Israelis like me who support a ceasefire that would end the killing in Gaza and allow the release of Israeli hostages, empties the word anti-Semitism of its meaning, endangering Jews around the world. Since my grandmother was born in a concentration camp in Libya and most of my grandfather's family was murdered by Germans in the Holocaust, I find it particularly outrageous that German politicians in 2024 have the audacity to use this term against me in a way that endangers my family. Most importantly, this behavior endangers the life of Palestinian co-director Basel Adra, who lives under a military occupation - surrounded by violent settlements - in Masafer Yatta. He is in far greater danger than I am. I am pleased that our award-winning film "No Other Land" is sparking an important international debate on this issue, and I hope that millions of people will see the film once it is released in theaters. We made the movie to start a discussion. You can be harshly critical of what Basel and I said on stage without demonizing us. - If that's what you do with your guilt for the Holocaust. I don't want to carry your guilt.
