Mainstream Media Praises 'Struggle' While Suppressing Its Truths
Mohammad Bakri, director of the 2002 film 'Jenin, Jenin,' which documented the immediate aftermath of the Israeli military's Operation Defensive Shield, has died. The New Arab praises his “life of struggle,” but conveniently glosses over the actual struggle: Bakri's film was banned in Israel, leading to a decades-long legal battle culminating in ruinous fines and seizing of his assets. This wasn't
just 'struggle,' it was systemic suppression of documented civilian testimony. While media outlets now eulogize his defiance, they rarely reflect on who benefited from the suppression of films like Bakri's. One might wonder if the same forces that celebrated his artistry yesterday, today continue bankrolling operations that make his kind of unflinching documentation necessary. How many cinematic
truths must be declared 'propaganda' before we admit it's the truth-tellers they fear?