Anti-Semites Attempt Coercion of the Toronto International Film Festival

I expect that if there were a film at the festival by Hamas, then

1. These anti-Semites (see below) would hail it as creative art, and
2. Jewish organizations would object, but not in such stupid, re-writing-of-history, ways.

Here is a summary of what has been going on:

[From this source] In an open letter in response to a protest by dozens of celebrities protesting the Toronto International Film Festival’s decision to showcase the city of Tel Aviv, festival co-director Cameron Bailey wrote that spotlighting Tel Aviv was “not a simple choice and that the city remains contested ground. We continue to learn more about the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement”.

“As a festival that values debate and the exchange of cultures, we will continue to screen the best films we can find from around the world,” Bailey said in the letter posted on the festival’s Web site.

Tel Aviv is the inaugural city in the festival’s new City to City series.

More than 50 prominent filmmakers, writers, artists and academics — including Jane Fonda, Danny Glover and Alice Walker — have signed a letter denouncing the move at the festival, which runs Sept. 10-19.

“As members of the Canadian and international film, culture and media arts communities, we are deeply disturbed by [the festival's] decision to host a celebratory spotlight on Tel Aviv”, states the letter, set to be published online Thursday. “We protest that TIFF, whether intentionally or not, has become complicit in the Israeli propaganda machine”.

“We do not protest the [10] individual Israeli filmmakers included in City to City,” the letter continues. “Nor do we in any way suggest that Israeli films should be unwelcome at TIFF. However … we object to the use of such an important international festival in staging a propaganda campaign on behalf of … an apartheid regime”.

Other signatories include singer David Byrne, actor Wallace Shawn and Canadian author Naomi Klein.

[And a response from Alan Dershowitz] A group of hard-Left filmmakers and writers from around the world have been using their celebrity to try to coerce the Toronto International Film Festival into banning Israeli films.
   Their petition, which is filled with misstatement of facts and rewriting of history, describes Israel as "an apartheid regime."
   It focuses not so much on Israel's occupation of the West Bank since 1967, but rather on Israel's very existence since 1948. It characterizes Tel Aviv, a city built by the sweat of Jews largely on barren coastal land, as illegitimate.
   It never mentions the fact that the Palestinians were offered and rejected statehood in 1938, 1948, 1967 and 2000-2001. It fails to mention that when Israel ended its occupation of Gaza, the result was rockets being fired at Israeli schoolchildren and other civilians.  
   They claim that the inspiration for their censorship effort includes "former President Jimmy Carter," who they say has characterized Israel as an "apartheid regime." Jimmy Carter has said many nasty things about Israel, but he has expressly disclaimed any allegation that the Israeli regime itself is apartheid.
   He acknowledges that Israel is a multicultural democracy in which Arabs vote, serve in the Knesset, serve on the Supreme Court and teach in Israeli universities. Many even volunteer to serve in the Israeli Army. His use - misuse in my [Alan Deshowitz] view - of the word "apartheid" was limited to Israel's occupation of the West Bank.

[and here is an even stronger response] As a filmmaker and member of the Academy, I can tell you that this is nothing less than a call for the complete destruction of the Jewish State. There can be no other interpretation when the legitimacy of Tel Aviv is called into question. If every city in the Middle East would have the cultural diversity, the freedom of expression, and treat its citizens, Jews and Arabs, the way Tel Aviv does, peace would have come to the Middle East long ago. [emphasis added]

Israel is accused of being an apartheid state because it did what every other country in the world would do – defend its citizens against an eight month rocket barrage launched by Hamas terrorists. Let’s be honest, the signatories to this protest may have been filmmakers, authors, directors and actors, but it is clear that the script they are reading from might as well have been written by Hamas.

[h/t Judith and Eva]

Comments

[John Clarke]

I wonder if John Greyson's big public hissy fit about TIFF has anything to do with him being on the Advisory Board of the Toronto Palestinian Film Festival and always pushing for a world-wide boycott of anything even remotely related to Israel?

Knowing what TIFF's plans were, one wonders why he waited to the last moment to withdraw, rather than just in the beginning many months ago withdrawing?

Naomi Klein's husband Avi Lewis after being fired from the CBC and not being able to get any jobs in journalism now works for Al Jazeera and this was about when Naomi's anti-Israel rhetoric was turned up to a new high.

[Bill in Vancover]

They are baby Nazis. They are just learning to hate.Give them enough support and they will have ''special trains'' and all the other trappings of violent racism. The time to stop them is right now.
The left and right are the same bunch , They know whats best for us . And they want to run your life without your having any say in the matter.