I WANT you to watch a documentary that will infuriate, pierce your heart, make you weep and cause sleepless nights — as it did for me. Because it’s not enough to imagine what Palestinians endure every day as we catch snippets of images on TV or social media feeds, desensitising us as constant exposure to violence can do.

We must watch No Other Lands to understand what it is like to live in fear of Israelis — soldiers and settlers — coming to evict you from your home. And then watch what happens when they tear your home down in front of your eyes, unaffected by your screams and pleas. And then you are forced to live in a cave, carrying on as normal as possible because the other choice is to leave.

No Other Land tells the story of Palestinian villagers resisting Israel’s cruel efforts to forcibly evict them from their lands in Masafer Yatta. It is a joint production of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, filmed over five years, right up till the Hamas attack on Israel. It focuses on Palestinian activist and filmmaker Basel Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham, who is against the occupation. Their bond is as central to the film as Israel’s brutal actions against the residents resisting their assault.

You........

© Dawn