The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, ordered the identification and opening of criminal investigations against Israeli soldiers and officers who gave statements to the documentary Naza, produced by the British newspaper The Guardian.
The film, awarded at the Venice International Film Festival, investigates the military systems used by Israel in attacks that caused the deaths of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.
According to the newspaper, Netanyahu sent a letter to Israel’s attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, the chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Eyal Zamir, and the director of the Shin Bet internal security service, David Zini, demanding measures against the military personnel who participated in the documentary.
In the correspondence, the prime minister ordered authorities to “act urgently to discover the identity of all those involved or appearing in the defamatory film”. It also requested “the opening of a criminal investigation and criminal prosecution for serious information security crimes, criminal defamation and for harming Israel’s diplomatic and security interests.”
Netanyahu has been making a series of threats against the documentary’s filmmakers. Israeli Culture Minister Miki Zohar defended the revocation of Abraham and Szor’s citizenship. There were also demonstrations against the directors, calling for the death penalty and accusing them of treason.
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Directed by Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, NAZA was filmed secretly at night on the rooftops of Tel Aviv and brings together testimonies from 24 officers. They recount the mechanisms employed by the Israel Defense Forces to select targets and authorize bombings in Gaza.
The Guardian team also interviewed more than 100 people familiar with the systems used by the Israel Defense Forces, including senior commanders who directly participated in authorizing attacks, to cross-reference information.
The material, details the newspaper, was subjected to a verification process that included leaked confidential documents, detailed analysis of specific military operations and cross-referencing of information with other sources that do not appear in the documentary.
These officers report how Palestinians are targeted and how these attacks happen despite the Israeli government knowing there are civilians in the targeted areas. Naza is a military acronym for “Nezek Agavi,” which means collateral damage. It is used by the Israeli Armed Forces to refer to the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike on Gaza.
Before Netanyahu’s determination, the chief of the Israeli General Staff, Eyal Zamir, had already requested that military and legal authorities identify the soldiers who appear in the film and examine possible measures against them.
Military Attorney General Itai Ofir, however, stated that opening a criminal case would depend on evidence of security breaches or disclosure of confidential information, although disciplinary measures could still be taken.
Reaction
The European Federation of Journalists, which represents more than 320,000 professionals, accused the Israeli government’s attempt to identify the documentary’s sources. The entity’s secretary general, Ricardo Gutiérrez, classified the threats as “a blatant act of intimidation against journalists”.
In his assessment, the measure confirms that “this regime is willing to do anything to cover up its crimes against humanity and the ongoing genocide in Gaza”.
A spokesperson for The Guardian also criticized the move: “after threatening to strip Naza directors of their Israeli citizenship, the Israeli government is now demanding an investigation into its journalistic sources.”
According to the newspaper, “all of these measures are attempts to divert attention from the urgent questions that the film raises about the mass murders of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
The newspaper emphasizes: “journalists must have the freedom to carry out investigations in the public interest without threats or harassment”.
The cinema also reacted. More than 1,500 Israeli film professionals signed a petition in support of Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, who also received solidarity from 43 Israeli human rights organizations and representatives from the Locarno, Berlin, San Sebastián and Telluride festivals.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
