Occupation 101

There is no doubt that this is a one-sided movie. If you love Israel, this will be a very difficult film to watch, and you'll probably be highly critical.

But if you're interested in understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this is best and most digestible account of the Palestinian perspective.

Don't take everything in this movie at face value. There's plenty of pandering to your heart, crying mothers, and upset children. But it is well researched, with a good account of the history of the conflict, and it eloquently explains many of the hot button issues for the Palestinian man on the street.. life under occupation, religious discrimination, US support for Israel, Gaza, and checkpoints.

After watching this, you'll understand better why a small minority turn to violence, and you'll have much more admiration for the large majority of Palestinians who've suffered and protested peacefully their lack of rights through 40 years of military occupation.

The movie is now a few years old, but it's still relevant.

I highly recommend this movie. It can be found online.

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.

In hindsight, when analyzing oppression we generally come to the conclusion that the side of the oppressed should be advocated. In South Africa, for instance, there was of course violence from the oppressed party, and no one was praising that, but doesn't the incredible violence and ethnic cleansing from the apartheid government deserve far more attention? The view that there are viable and arguable sides to this situation is like saying that there are valid sides to apartheid. Am I biased towards the side of the Africans during the oppression? Of course

This documentary is an accurate portrayal of Palestinian life. I spent a month in the West Bank and Israel, and every single Palestinian is affected by the occupation. I talked to a family who left their house for 2 days only to come back and find a Jewish family living in it, leaving them homeless. People tell themselves that there must be another side to the story because they are aren't aware of the magnitude of the oppression. This film indeed should have involved more ordinary or affected Isrealis, because it would only expose further the inequality and one-sidedness of the conflict, paid for by US tax dollars.

It is impossible to see this heartbreaking documentary and come away still believing that Isreal is the victim in the crisis. It is poignant and accurate, and helps to relieve the public ignorance which blinds us to the gross political oppression of an apartheid state, brought to you by the USA

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.