Die Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden
in Nahost (EJJP-Österreich)
Frauen in Schwarz
(Wien)
und die Gesellschaft für
Österreichisch-Arabische Beziehungen
laden ein zum Vortrag von
Dr. Bettina MARX
„Die Rolle der Medien im Nahost-Konflikt“
Einführende Worte: Fritz EDLINGER,
Gesellschaft der Österreichisch-Arabische Beziehungen
in Kooperation mit dem Afro Asiatischen Institut Wien
Zeit: Montag, den 15. März 2010, um 19 Uhr 30
Ort: Großer Saal, Afro Asiatisches Institut
1090 Wien, Türkenstrasse 3
Dr. Bettina MARX
Seit Januar 2008 Parlamentskorrespondentin bei der Deutschen Welle mit Schwerpunkt Sozialpolitik und Außenpolitik
Januar 2003 – Dezember 2007 ARD-Hörfunk-Korrespondentin in Tel
Aviv
1992 – 2002 Parlamentskorrespondentin für Deutsche Welle Radio
in Bonn
und Berlin, Schwerpunkt Außenpolitik
Ausbildung
1990 – 1991 Ausbildung an Journalistenschule Bruchsal
1988 – 1990 Promotion an der Universität zu Köln im Fach
Judaistik
1980 – 1987 Studium der Judaistik, Islamwissenschaft und Geschichte
an den
Universitäten Bonn, Heidelberg und Jerusalem. Magister in Judaistik
und Geschichte in Köln
Veröffentlichung
April 2009: „Gaza – Berichte aus einem Land ohne Hoffnung“
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Filmabend im Amerling Haus
Stiftgasse 8
1070 Wien
Filmreihe Israel-Palästina
Mittwoch, 17. März 2010, 19:00 Uhr ‚
Rachel – An American Conscience
In Memory and Honour of Rachel CorrieDirector: Yahya Barakat
Palestine, 2005, 80 minutes, documentary
English language with Arabic subtitles
“Rachel - An American Conscience” is a documentary which chronicles Rachel Corrie’s humanitarian work with the International Solidarity Movement in Rafah, Gaza Strip, until the date of her murder in March 2003. While Rachel stood in front of a Palestinian home to prevent its demolition, an Israeli solder in a Caterpillar D-0 bulldozer crushed her to death.
Yahya Barakat received a B.A. in film directing from the Academy of Arts
at the Higher Institute of Cinema, Egypt. As well as working in film he
has also been a lecturer at the College of Media in Al-QudsUniversity since
2002. Barakat’s films include Baytullah (The House of God, 42 minutes,
2003) which recounts the dramatic siege of the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem during the Israeli re-invasion of Palestinian areas in the West
Bank in April 2002.
About Rachel – About the Film
The late Rachel Corrie (1979 – 2003) was articulate, straightforward
and resolute. Her castigation of Israel’s military occupation of the
Palestinian people and the disregard of the Israeli government for the safety
of Israelis and Palestinians rang with clarity. Through peace activism she
ascertained the facts on the ground.
The documentary “Rachel – An American Conscience”, chronicles
her humanitarian work with the International Solidarity Movement in Rafah,
Gaza Strip, just prior to her murder in March 2003. While Corrie stood in
front of a Palestinian home to prevent its demolition, an Israeli soldier
in a Caterpillar D-9 bulldozer crushed her to death.
Director Yahya Barakat, a professor in the Mass Media and TV Department
at Al-QudsUniversity in Jerusalem, edited 80 hours of film footage from
Gaza, the West Bank and Olympia, Washington, for two years. He created a
cinematic collage of international voices; people who work for peace and
who support the Palestinians in their daily lives. Through interviews, Barakat
presents a collective chastisement of the Israeli military occupation, the
U.S. and Israeli governments, as well as U.S. mainstream media.
In Gaza, Occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, a walk to school is
a life or death situation for Palestinian children. They are often attacked
by Jewish settlers and soldiers.
Rachel Corrie made a conscious decision to travel to Rafah and assess the
root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Through interviews with
her parents, viewers learn about Rachel.
When Rachel was ten she made a list of her future professions. One of them
was a humanitarian activist. Her parents, Cindy and Craig, read her stories
about the Holocaust. She composed poems and she constructed crafts for her
mother. She loved the Pacific Ocean and it bothered her that the Palestinian
children of Rafah had no access to beaches when they were steps away from
the Mediterranean Sea.
Her parents’ perception of the conflict changed when they read Rachel’s
writings because they did not see this information in U.S. mainstream media.
Internationals expressed their shock and their distress at the violence
of the occupation. They talked about the peacefulness and the generosity
of the Palestinians.
Cindy Corrie said her daughter had a gift for acute observations. In front
of the camera, Rachel’s command of language and analysis of the conflict
resounded with intelligence. She not only had a sharp mind but she had a
great heart. She was a young woman of character and valour.
Barakat uses photo stills to re-enact what happened the day Rachel was killed.
The bulldozer treaded the ground and Corrie, in an orange, flack jacket,
stood her ground. She would not allow the destruction of a family’s
home, people she lived with for several weeks. If their house was destroyed
where would they live?
The Israeli soldier crushed her. Eyewitness accounts concurred that the
soldier saw Corrie. After the occurrence the unknown Israeli soldier smiled
and waved to witnesses from the cab of his bulldozer. Yet he would not step
out of it and face his unarmed victim.
The soldier’s behaviour in front of the camera showed that his humanity
fell to the wayside. The first Israeli fact-finding report about Rachel
Corrie’s death was an outright lie because it stated the bulldozer
never touched her. The film shows footage from the cab of the bulldozer.
The solder said: “I hit an object (military terminology for a person)”.
The fact that the soldier never came forward publicly demonstrated that
he had learned nothing from his crime.
Activists mourned Rachel’s death and they brought carnations to the
site.
Barakat explores the meaning of conscience and how people apply it to their
lives. The film has the philosophy that some people commit wrongs and some
people respond to them with non-violent resistance. In the end, the viewer
is left to decide whether s/he stands by idly with indifference, or s/he
stands for human rights. It encourages people to think about the soldiers
and settlers who kill Palestinians in cold blood and then live freely. How
many Palestinian families have lost loved ones and then have to live with
the fact that the murderer remains unpunished?
When Barakat was asked why he chose Rachel Corrie as the focal point for
his film he said that there were three reasons:
One, eyewitnesses say it was not an accident;
Two, when he followed up the story in the United States they did
not talk about Corrie; and
Three, the U.S. media did not cover her to the extent that they
cover missing American children and other murders.
“It made me feel that I must do something for this girl”, Barakat said.
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Filmabend im Amerling Haus
Stiftgasse 8
1070 Wien
Filmreihe Israel-Palästina
Dienstag, 23. März 2010, 19:00 Uhr
‚
OCCUPATION 101
Voice of the Silenced Majority
Von Abdullah Omeish, Sufyan Omeish
2007, 85 Minutes, English
Occupation 101 presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace.
Unlike any other film produced on the conflict Occupation 101 explains the complicated reality with precision storytelling through a series of highly stylized visual edits, and gives audiences a complete context with which to better understand the Israeli-Palestinian debate. The roots of the conflict are explained with thought-provoking commentaries from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.
The film covers a wide range of topics, which include the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880s, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the Wall of Annexation and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart-wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.
Entrance free, donations gladly accepted.