Occupation 101

This movie shows why president Jimmy Carter called his book 'Palestine, not Apartheid'. It shows the terrible conditions in which the Palestinians live and the Israeli policies that make these conditions possible. The most interesting aspect of the movie is how it exposes the absolute biased and twisted picture that has been painted of the conflict in the media. The media has somehow managed to convince the world that the Israelis are craving for peace and that Arabs are a bunch of anti-semitic terrorists. I'm convinced that many people (not me, as I am pretty well informed on the subject) will be absolutely stunned to learn that what they have been told for decades now is a farce. The movie describes Israel as a state which acts out policies that are extremely racist, reminiscent of South Africa and segregated USA, bent on destroying a civilization and wiping out any trace of Arab Palestine. The movie also describes the roots of the conflict, beginning with the rise of European Zionism. The movie is very well made, plus it has Noam Chomsky in it, which in itself is a good enough reason to watch the movie.

I watched tens of films on the Palestinian cause and I Can tell you this is the best ever produced documentary about the sufferings of the Palestinians since 1948 and the continuous crimes of the Zionists and their illegal state, Iseal.

The documentary is well-cited and supported with statistics and numbers whenever available. The powerful part though, I believe, is the comparison between the Palestinian struggle and the South African struggle against Apartheid.

If you haven't watched this you HAVE TO! If you already did then make sure you buy your own copy from www.occupation101.com and show it to your friends, family, neighbours, colleagues. Arrange public showings in your local community centre, in your school, university, café. The whole world must watch this one to understand that the key to peace in the world is no where but in Palestine which should go back to its people, Palestinians.

I saw this film at the deadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City where it won the Feature Documentary Award and I was able to visit with the Writer/Director, Abdullah Omeish. The clean cut well spoken young man could've come off any American college campus. Abdullah has worked on this project for years and the result is a comprehensive study of the current situation in this Middle Eastern hotbed.

'Occupation 101' explores the beginnings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; tracing the history through today. The straightforward approach is objective and graphics are used effectively without the classroom feeling. Omeish also makes interesting use of the voluminous archival footage available. To avoid appearing bias no Palestinian Officials were interviewed with all experts being Israeli or Americans. The target audience is the United States, rather than just 'the West', since the Producer feels they are the most in need of an educational background of the conflict.

The American Christian-Jewish connection could've been fleshed-out better but one can get the idea for the unqualified support the United States gives Israel. The film is thought provoking and begs questions that don't have any easy answers. The goal of the film is educational and it has succeeded, providing needed insight into the conflict. This is an important film that hopefully will find a wider voice which very well could aid fair & balanced dealings with all involved.

I know this may seem like only one side of the story, but the whole point is that we generally only hear the other side of it. In my opinion, this documentary brings another perspective to people's perception of the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, and makes it all feel very real. You can't fail to feel the pain of these poor people, unless you're not human.

That being said, make sure you DO hear the other side of the story as well, before making your own mind up. You won't get the entire story here.

Truly Heartbreaking, but everyone NEEDS to see this.

This is best and maybe the only film thats exposes the truth about this conflict.

As the film said: "forget everything you think you know" The film is a fantastic work, it shows historic facts, stats, interviews with the people who live, interviews with human rights groups, etc.

I watch this movie with a lot of people, the feeling when you get to know the truth that the film exposes will make you anger and sad at the same time. Makes you think: "We must do something" and "How can this happen in the 21st and no one do nothing?" specially if you are an Israeli Jewish.

I strongly recommend you to buy this film and watch it and share the information with as much people as you can.