Hijacking the Holy Land: Palestine, Propaganda and Peace

The battle between Israelis and Palestinians for the hearts and minds of outsiders observing the Holy Land conflict receives a new volley in this unapologetically pro-Israeli offering from writer-director Chris Atkins. Hijacking the Holy Land flatly claims that the Arab world wants to obliterate Israel, offering evidence of violently anti-Israeli media and educational materials created by Palestinians and Arab nations. Openly questioning criticisms leveled at Israel in Western media, the documentary is especially impatient with remarks made by foreign leaders (particularly former U.S. President Jimmy Carter) that question Israeli policies in the West Bank (a spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces insists the massive barrier constructed to separate Israel from the West Bank is strictly to prevent terrorist attacks). While many of the claims here appear legitimate, Hijacking the Holy Land unwisely pooh-poohs or ignores well-documented evidence of blatant human rights abuses against Palestinians within the West Bank. Outside of a spokeswoman for a group called Arabs for Israel, the film offers no independent input from the Palestinian side of the struggle. And when one of the “experts” interviewed blithely states that the Palestinians only had a presence in the region for one or two generations before the 1948 creation of Israel, one has to wonder which side the “propaganda” in the title actually refers to. Still, given the perennial hot-button topic, this should be considered a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)