The Daily Campus

Issue date: 2/25/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Carolyn Wilke Elizabeth Aaronsohn (left), associate professor of education at Central Connecticut State University, and Stanley Heller lead a panel discussion following the documentary 'The Iron Wall,' in the Student Union Theater.

The Muslim Student Association's showing of "The Iron Wall" at the Student Union Theater Tuesday evening attracted about 30 people and a debate about whether the film was anti-Semitic or not followed.

The documentary about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict and rise of Israeli occupation settlements in the West Bank "exposes this phenomenon and follows the timeline, size, population of the settlements, and its impact on the peace process," according to the film's Web site. "This film also touches on the latest project to make the settlements a permanent fact on the ground - the wall that Israel is building in the West Bank and its impact on the Palestinian's peoples."

The first half of the documentary spoke about the policies of the various Israeli government leaders and their adverse affects on Palestine. It focused on the significant increase of the settlements on Palestinian land, which has displaced millions of people and contributed to the rising numbers of refugees and Palestinians living in ghettos. The second half focused on the building of what the International Court of Justice calls a wall (most American media refers to it as a fence, even though the 25-foot concrete wall is double the length of the fence). It also focused on the occupation of the city of Hebron by Israeli troops.

The film looked at the situation from a Palestinian perspective, so there was a definite bias there, but one that discussion leader Elizabeth Aaronsohn, an associate professor of education at Central Connecticut State University, said was counteracted by the American news media's heavy pro-Israel bias.

As a daughter of a Rabbi, she said that, the first time she viewed the film, she was "totally devastated and could not speak," and could not understand the actions of some of the Israelis. She said it is the obligation [of the Jewish community] to speak up.

After a brief overview of the film and director Mohammed Alatar, the floor was opened to the diverse crowd, which ranged from young American Jews to World War II veterans for discussion.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools