Il figlio di Hamas

A difficult, touching documentation of the experiences of two men living under very stressful circumstances. Other reviews criticise it for being one-sided, and it may well be if viewed from a wider perspective of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but taken at face value, the interaction between Mosab and Gonen, that develops into a trust beyond blood, is an uplifting story that needs to widely heard. A solid documentary that, treated with care and sensitivity, could probably be turned into a powerful movie. This is a tale of hope.

I don't know how I found this, or why I watched it, but I'm glad I did.

> It's a true story, and it's got mystery, betrayal of many kinds, and in the last place you'd expect, it has love and admiration. It shocked and surprised me in many ways. If given the chance, Hollywood writers couldn't have written a better story than this true one.

> All I can say is, that if you think this isn't the type of doc you usually like, or dismiss it for any other reason, don't. It's not something I normally watch and would dismiss it without another thought, but I didn't for some weird reason and I'm so glad I did. Just watch it.

The Green Prince (2014) is an Israeli film written and directed by Nadav Schirman. It's a documentary that features Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of a Hamas leader, and Gonen Ben Yitzhak, who was an agent with Shin Bet, the Israeli secret service.

Intelligence agents will use any means at their disposal to get an opponent to cross the line and turn against his or her own people. That's the situation portrayed in this documentary. A Shin Bet agent was able to convince a young Palestinian to work for Shin Bet against his Palestinian friends and family.

The young man--Mosab Hassan Yousef--tells us how, when he was in prison, Hamas leaders tortured their own people with unimaginable cruelty. This experience was the turning point. It was after this that he became an informant for the Israelis.

We who are watching the film can see that there's more to this story than Mosab tell us. However, it's possible that he himself doesn't see the big picture.

Mosab clearly bonded with his handler, Gonen Ben Yitzhak. Still, it's obvious that the bonding worked in both directions. Gonen grew to respect--and possibly love--Mosab. Ultimately, their bond is put to the test.

This is a grim, difficult film about a grim, difficult situation. However, the topic is so important, and the psychological complexities are so profound, that it's worth accepting the difficulty and seeing the movie. We saw it at the Rochester JCC Hart Theatre, as part of the outstanding Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. It will work just as well on a small screen.

This movie actually does a really good job of introducing a subject to the American general public to at least remember that Israel and Palestine exist. That the conflict is not just a forgettable world news story you hear in the background on television while getting something to eat and ignoring the information. It's not the movie version of a book or a non-biased documentary, but it's entertaining enough to keep unaware viewers watching and hopefully remembering, if not researching further. I think a huge key to the success of keeping people's attention was the wondering if it's a mockumentary or documentary aspect.

I will say the 100 minutes of movie gave me a better overview of how this conflict was related to myself versus the countless hours of world news I did watch, while living in San Diego, that was difficult to discern bickering opinion from what was actually happening and why it should be important to me.

For all of you disappointed academics out there, just remember, baby steps; getting people to remember is the first step to future awareness.

Mosab Hassan Yousef is a son of one of the founding fathers of the Palestinian group Hamas. He grew up in the shadow of Israel's occupation and the shadow of his fathers fight and rhetoric. He was the heir apparent and decided to take up the armed struggle. This got him arrested and in the grips of the Israelis.

He was then interrogated by the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Service) and they tried to turn him, he was still sent to prison. He then ended up working for the Shin Bet and this is his story. Now this is a basic documentary with interviews to camera from Mosab and Gonen Ben Yitzhak (his handler) for the most part. There is also use of archive footage to flesh out the tale and a bit of re-enactment too.

This is actually a very moving and extraordinary film in places with unexpected turns and reveals for both Israel and Palestine. This has the potential to be very divisive as it is a subject that burns close to a lot of people's hearts. That said it is better to discuss than to not and if this film encourages debate then I think that can only be a good thing - as indeed this documentary is too - recommended to those with an interest in modern and World history.