Customer Reviews

Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories & Photos

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Anna Baltzer's documentary on life in Occupied Palestine is outstanding.
As a young Jewish American who went out to Israel, and then visited the Occupied Territories, she was horrified by what she saw, and produced this documentary as well as the book, Witness in Palestine.
If people want to know what is really going on in Palestine, watch this DVD; you will not be disappointed.
I first watched it with a group of friends, and several times we broke into spontaneous applause over Anna Baltzer's excellent commentary.

This movie approaches the question of occupation from the point-of-view of people living under it. How it affects ordinary lives? how ordinary people, not soldiers or terrorists, would be crushed by the brutality of Israeli occupation? How their dreams are evaporating, and human rights we think of as a given in "the only democracy in the middle east", are being squashed and violated? This DVD is a sobering call, telling us how our tax monies are being used to abuse the daily lives of innocent people in the Holy Land, and how our perception of Israel as a democracy does not stand the test of Israel's actions as an occupying military force, intoxicated with overwhelming power to the extent of not noticing the crying eyes of the palestinian children, and the fragmented dreams of their parents. We keep asking why do they hate us, ... watch this DVD, and put yourself and your kids on the recieving end of the Israeli stick (paid for by our USA tax monies). A sobering call indeed!

I saw the movie on Free Speech TV or Link TV Channel and I was blown away by Baltzer's flawless film. Like Ms. Baltzer, I too was blinded by one-sideness of the Israel-Arab-Palestinian conflict. I do agree that Israel had the right to defend herself because of the threat of military invasion in 1967, and the Jews had the right to become a state after being expelled from Israel for centuaries plus of what happened to them in the Holocaust. However, I do not approve of how the Israelis have become the oppressors instead of the oppressed with all the laws that have been written to favor the Jews. It is like having commerce laws favor American corporations instead of protecting American customers and workers. Ms. Baltzer also talks about how the Palestians have lost their businesses because of the checkpoints. Its kind of like WalMart or some big corporations wiping out mom and pop stores. It is also kind of like aparthied and racism in South Africa and the United States where blacks and various Asian groups were not allowed to own property, investments, and restricted to very few occupations to make a living.

Ms. Baltzer techincal skills in the use of maps to illustate the effects of the day to day realities of oppression are impressive. It is really shameful that the average Israel citizen gets more money from the U.S. government than your American citizen.

This film should have won several awards at the various independent film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival.

Fantastic Film! Not to be missed. In one hour Anna Baltzer passionately presents an intelligent and insightful introduction to the Israeli-Palestinian land conflict.
In the documentary Anna speaks from a living room while sitting on a couch with her laptop next to her. Initially I thought this was amateurish and was put-off by it. I am accustomed to the super slick graphics and lecture hall audience which lends credibility to the speaker. In retrospect I think her choice serves her well. The film has the feel of a friend speaking personally yet passionately. She never talks down to her audience and she is far more gracious than I would be.
I am a Christian who in the past had believed and taught the standard Zionist line. What changed my perspective was when a friend challenged me with the question of, "What if Jesus were serious about loving one's enemies?" Conservative Evangelical Christians completely reject this possibility with objections such as, "Just wherein loving your enemies does it say not to kill them?" and "Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is to kill them.". Fortunatley I examined the issue and as I came to embrace these words of Christ my theology was shaken to its foundation.
Prior to viewing Life in Occupied Palestine I had read several books which made me familiar with the issues. They include Secret Believers and Operation Desert Light by Brother Andrew, Whose Land? Whose Promise? by Gary Burge and Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour. I highly recommend these books.
Knowing what I know about the Israeli / Palestinian conflict I was very impressed with Baltzer's presentation. Her use of maps to illustate the effects of the day to day realities of oppression are impressive. The unconditional support of Israel by the United States to the tune of 10 million dollars per day in light of these injustices is shameful.
I can't say enough good things about this film. I will purchase it and share it many times. I also intend to purchase her book Witness in Palestine.

this easygoing dvd shows some of the ethnic cleansing techniques used by the israeli government against the palestinians (christians and muslims) under its control. Anna Baltser saw the truth first-hand and gives a non-hysterical presentation of how israel operates out of range of the world's media. although of a jewish background she felt morally obliged to make this video.