Palestinian Diary

"The British and Americans protect Israel like a baby," spits out an elder Palestinian Arab who lives in the occupied West Bank of Israel. However, as Palestinian Diary unquestionably demon­strates, hatred and the perpetuation of atrocities are not confined to the PLO; on the contrary, the Israelis appear to be cut from the same cloth. Produced by Tamouz Media's Ilan Ziv, the program is comprised of home video footage shot over a 6-month period by three Palestinians: Nazeh Adel Darwazeh in the town of Nablus, Suher Ismael in the village of Khader on the West Bank, and Abdel Salam Shihada in the Gaza Strip's Rafah refugee camp. Although the historical background of the Middle East rivalry between Israel and the Arab nations is a thorny and complex issue, Palestinian Diary doesn't address ideology, politics, or religion. We see a mother teaching her toddler how to use a stick to "beat Israelis." We hear people describing Israeli's as "Nazis"--a particularly cruel insult. And we watch as Palestinians sing in the streets during the Gulf War: "Saddam, friend, aim chemicals at Tel Aviv!" What are we, the viewers, supposed to learn from this program? That the Israeli's oppress the Palestinians with unjust curfews? That the Palestinians raid the Israeli's? Stripped of historical context, all the viewer sees is a blinding, vicious hate. Maybe there's a use for this raw cinema verite documentary devoid of editorial commentary. But I don't know what that use would be. Not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Tamouz Media, 123 West 93rd St., Suite 5B, New York, NY 10025; (212) 864-7603.)