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Israeli Director Criticizes Calls for Film on War to Be Boycotted From Venice Film Festival
Director Amos Gitai attends the ”Why War” photocall during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino on August 31, 2024 in Venice, Italy. Photo: Daniele Cifalà via Reuters Connect
Israeli director Amos Gitai criticized on Saturday the nearly 350 members of the film industry who wanted his film to be boycotted from the Venice Film Festival.
“Why War,” which made its world premiere on Saturday out of the competition, was inspired by a correspondence in the early 1930s between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud about how to avoid war. The film “traces the roots of war, and embarks on a search for an explanation of the savagery of wars that inhabit our world.” It was co-produced in Italy and shoot in Vienna, Tel Aviv, Berlin, and Paris.
“Why War” and Dani Rosenberg’s Hebrew-language film “Al Klavim Veanashim” (“Of Dogs and Men”) was the focus of an anti-Israel open letter signed by figures in the film industry and published on the opening of the Venice Film Festival last week. They claimed the films were “created by Israeli production companies that are complicit in whitewashing Israel’s oppression against Palestinians.” They further slammed the Venice Film Festival for showcasing both films, saying they are against “the artwashing of [Israel’s] Gaza genocide against Palestinians” at the prestigious film festival.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Gitai said “Why War” did not receive any funding from the government of Israel and insisted that those who wanted the film boycotted from the Venice Film Festival had not even seen the movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He further noted that his film examines the topic of war in general, and not “the intoxicated Israeli-Palestinian relationship.”
“The film is not actually focused on Israel-Palestine, although they love always to think that they are the center of the world,” Gitai said. “There is no center of the world. The planet is round. [It’s] a very important conflict, but they are not the only one on the planet.”
“Everything is based on these great two thinkers,” he added. “Karl Marx probably inspired Albert Einstein, because it’s a very Marxist piece about money and greed, or industry. Freud is about the human soul and why these smart animals want to make war.”
In a previously released “director’s statement” about his film, Gitai said “Why War” does not feature any iconography or photographs from war and the destruction it causes because he believes that just further amplifies war. Regarding the current Israel-Hamas war, the director said on Saturday that he thinks current media coverage on the situation, from both Israel and the Palestinians, just makes the conflict worse and “prolongs the war.”
“If we look at Israeli TV, they will only show you atrocities of Oct. 7, the rape of the women, the burning of the kibbutzim. If I’m a normal Israeli and I see these images, I’ll say, ‘Let’s kill them all,’” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “[And] the Arab networks, Al Jazeera, will show you just the destruction of Gaza, so the savagery and the destruction of tens of thousands of homes in Gaza and the killing of tens and thousands of people … that most are not terrorists … civilians, children. There is now polio, a lack of food. [If I’m] a Palestinian and I only see these images, they will not see the Israeli images, [I would] say, ‘Let’s continue the war.’”
“The iconography prolongs the war so we decided to make an anti-war film without images of war,” he added. “We need to find new ways of rebuilding this beautiful region … even in spite of the wounds and the tragedies and bad memories, we need to build something different. This cannot go on.”
The director also reportedly said the Hamas terrorist organization ruling the Gaza Strip and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government both need to be removed from power in order for there to be peace in the region.
“The two groups have to understand that the proposition of being under Hamas is not a good proposition. There will be no rights for women, no Christians of the Orient, no LGBT rights, nothing. The Iranians already went this way when they got behind Khomeini and they’re stuck with it,” he stated, referring to the Islamist regime currently ruling Iran. “We the Israelis have to get rid of the extremist, nationalist, right-wing, racist, ultra-religious government that we have. The two groups have to do some cleaning on their stuff and then maybe a new bridge can be constructed. It’s not there now but we have to keep the idea that one day, it will come, and I think it will come.”
The post Israeli Director Criticizes Calls for Film on War to Be Boycotted From Venice Film Festival first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Debunking Nine Myths of the Israel-Iran War
Smoke billows following missile attack from Iran on Israel, at Tel Aviv, Israel, June 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Gideon Markowicz ISRAEL
If you are using social media, you have likely encountered many false narratives surrounding the Israel-Iran war. Here is what you need to know:
Myth 1: Israel is trying to drag America into a war where its soldiers will die
Reality: Israel does not desire a protracted action and seeks no ground invasion. At most, it would ask America to give it a bunker-buster bomb to hit the Fordow nuclear facility, which is the best protected and underground nuclear facility in Iran. America could also choose to bomb Fordow itself — not at Israel’s behest. Israel has already attacked the Natanz nuclear facility.
Myth 2: Israel launched this war due to its aggressive and violent nature
Reality: Iran has been attacking Israel for almost 40 years, and has been using its proxies of Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and others in order to create a ring of fire around Israel. Iran was responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre through its support of Hamas, as well as every Hezbollah atrocity against Israel. And it was Iran itself that started the direct war between the two countries. In April, Iran launched 300 projectiles, including 170 drones and 120 ballistic missiles at Israel. Last October, it launched 200 ballistic missiles.
Myth 3: The Iranian people are against Israel
Reality: The majority of the Iranian population hates the repressive regime in Iran. In September 2022, 22 year-old Mahsa Amini died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for not wearing a hijab. Witnesses reported she was beaten in custody. Protests ensued, and human rights groups reported that Iran’s security forces killed more than 400 protesters. These follow many protests and uprising in the past against the mullahs.
Iranian civilians obviously don’t want to be hit by Israeli fire, but Israel has chiefly targeted military locations. If a certain number of Iranian civilians were killed, that attitude could potentially change.
Myth 4: Prime Minister Netanyahu has been saying Iran would have nuclear weapons for many years, so he cannot be trusted on this point
Reality: The first part is true, as Iran has been working on its nuclear program for decades. It has lied, and been caught lying, numerous times in the past. The only reason to enrich uranium past 60 percent is for military purposes.
In addition, things on the ground have changed. Iran has seen its proxies weakened and has become more desperate. Iran never before fired hundreds of missiles at Israel, as it did in 2024 and 2025, and may have been surprised at Israel’s ease in repelling the attack, and also disabling Iran’s air defenses. President Trump has also confirmed that he believes Iran was truly coming close to building a nuclear weapon.
Myth 5: Iran and President Trump were about to make a deal, so Israel sabotaged it by attacking the Islamic Republic
Reality: President Trump gave Iran 60 days to negotiate, and Trump has now said the Iranians didn’t negotiate seriously or in good faith. That’s why he allowed the Israeli attack to go forward on day 61.
Myth 6: Because some Iranian missiles got through Israel’s defense systems, those systems are a failure
Reality: No matter how advanced any system of intercepting projectiles is, there is no such thing as 100 percent accuracy in war. Drones, which are slow and take many hours to get to Israel are easier to shoot down. Ballistic missiles fired from Iran can reach Israel in 10-15 minutes, and pack a good amount of explosives that can do tremendous damage, even wiping out a block.
Myth 7: This is only about Iran’s nuclear program
Reality: Iran’s ballistic missiles also pose a huge threat, as we have seen in recent days, and Israeli attacks have knocked out some of the rocket launchers. Israeli officials report that Iran wanted to expand its ballistic missile arsenal from 2,000 to 8,000.
Myth 8: Israel’s attack certainly brings the world closer to World War III
Reality: While anything is possible, it does not appear that Russia and China would get involved. Hezbollah has stated it will not get involved.
Myth 9: Israel is believed to have a nuclear bomb, so it’s only fair that Iran has one as well
Reality: Iran has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. Israel has never threatened the same to Iran. Israel does not foment terrorism around the world, and Israel would not use a nuclear weapon to stop Western states from confronting its use of terrorism. That’s why countries like Germany and France say Iran cannot possess a nuclear weapon, but Israel can. Iran getting a nuclear weapon could also trigger a nuclear arms race with countries like Saudi Arabia.
The author is a writer based in New York.
The post Debunking Nine Myths of the Israel-Iran War first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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What Choice Do We Really Have? A Diaspora Jew From Canada and Australia Confronts Betrayal
Illustrative: Supporters of Hamas gather for a rally in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Reuters/Joel Carrett
I was born in Canada. I’ve lived in Australia for more than 30 years. I have always considered myself blessed to live in these two liberal democracies — places that once proudly upheld human rights, justice, and moral clarity. I believed, maybe naively, that as a Jew and a Zionist, I was safe here. That I belonged.
But over the past two years, something fundamental has broken. The moral compass I thought guided the nations I’ve called home has been shattered — and with it, the sense of security I once took for granted.
Australia — my home — has formally sanctioned two Israeli ministers, a move cloaked in diplomatic language but dripping with moral confusion. Our government draws false equivalencies between Israel, a sovereign democracy defending itself — and Hamas, a terrorist organization that burned babies alive, raped women, and dragged Holocaust survivors into captivity. It’s not just offensive — it’s betrayal. And, where is the public recognition that Israel is taking remarkable, unilateral steps that keep not just Israel, but the world, safer from Iran’s global nuclear intentions?
Canada, where I was raised, no longer feels like the Canada I knew. Jews are hounded on university campuses. Holocaust memorials are vandalized. Anti-Israel encampments fly swastikas with impunity. Protesters shout genocidal slogans and call it “free speech.” And through it all, governments and institutions equivocate, hedge, and hide.
To be a Jew in the Diaspora today is to be confronted, constantly, with a sense of isolation. The antisemitism we were told would “never again” return has not only returned — but is thriving. It’s bold. It’s loud. It’s mainstream.
We’re not imagining it. We’re living it.
We’re walking past graffiti accusing Jews of genocide. We’re watching Jewish students silenced by mob intimidation while university administrators look away. We’re seeing celebrities, influencers, and elected officials amplify the propaganda of those who openly call for Israel’s destruction. We’re standing at vigils for hostages and hearing the jeers of counter-protesters who deny October 7, 2023, even happened.
And the worst part? The silence.
The silence from those who once said they were our allies. The silence of political leaders too afraid to speak with moral clarity. The silence of institutions terrified of being labelled “controversial” for standing with Jews.
How did we get here?
How did it become controversial to say that Jews deserve safety? That Israel has a right to exist? That mass rape and child murder are not acts of resistance?
This isn’t about left or right. This is about right and wrong. And too many governments, too many media outlets, and too many public voices have lost the courage — or the will — to tell the difference.
As a Jew in the Diaspora, I’m tired. Tired of the doublespeak. Tired of the gaslighting. Tired of being told we’re imagining things. We’re not. We’re awake. And we know exactly what we’re seeing.
So what choice do we have?
To stay silent is to abandon our future. To apologize for our identity is to dishonor our past. And to give up on Israel — the one place where Jewish safety is not theoretical — is to betray everything we’ve learned from history.
We cannot outsource our safety. We cannot rely on others to defend us. We must stand up — clearly, unapologetically, and proudly.
This is why I do the work I do. Because we need to educate. We need to empower. And we need to fight back — against hatred, against lies, and against the slow, steady erosion of truth.
What choice do we really have?
We choose to fight. Because the alternative is unthinkable.
Michael Gencher is Executive Director, StandWithUs Australia, a 24 year-old international education organisation that supports Israel and fights antisemitism.
The post What Choice Do We Really Have? A Diaspora Jew From Canada and Australia Confronts Betrayal first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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How Western Media Have Aided the Iranian Regime’s Attacks on Israel
A rescue personnel works at an impact site following missile attack from Iran on Israel, in Rishon LeZion, Israel, June 14, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Knesset member Azmi Bishara fled Israel dramatically in 2007 to avoid prosecution for accepting payment in exchange for giving Hezbollah information about strategic locations in Israel to target during the previous year’s Second Lebanon War.
Bishara was caught advising the Iranian-backed terror group on how to aim its rockets more accurately to hit substantial targets in the very country where he served as a member of parliament.
Eighteen years later, no Bishara is needed.
Today, if Iran’s leaders want to assess the effectiveness of their attacks, all they have to do is turn on the television or go online. Since Iranian-backed Hamas launched the current war against Israel with its October 7, 2023, massacre, media outlets have repeatedly abetted Israel’s enemies by reporting from the scenes of attacks.
That violation of decades-old Israeli military censorship policies has only intensified during Iran’s current wave of strikes on Israeli military and civilian targets.
It began on Saturday, when Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst revealed live on air that Hamas had hit a Tel Aviv apartment building near the Kirya military base, which he described as “Israel’s version of the Pentagon.”
After a warning from the Government Press Office, Yingst became more cautious, reporting more generally from “central Israel.”
The Atlantic’s Jeff Goldberg had the decency to wait before publishing his exclusive on the US military op against the Houthis, in order not to risk American lives.@TreyYingst exposed realtime intel to the Iranian regime, putting Israeli lives in jeopardy, just for his scoop. https://t.co/klRM3FDVeS
— Simon Plosker (@SimonPlosker) June 14, 2025
Then, on Sunday, a group of cameramen broadcast for well over an hour from the power plant at the Haifa oil refinery — another highly sensitive site that had been struck by an Iranian ballistic missile. Al Jazeera used the footage.
When police approached the cameramen, it turned out they weren’t actually working for Al Jazeera. As a result, their equipment could not legally be confiscated, due to a law passed last year that bans the Qatari state-run propaganda outlet from operating in Israel. Al Jazeera has used freelancers to circumvent the ban, staying one step ahead of Israeli legislators in a game of cat and mouse.
But the cameramen, like all journalists in Israel, are still bound by military censorship laws that prohibit the publication of sensitive security information that could aid Israel’s enemies or endanger civilians.
“It has come to our attention that certain members of the press are filming sensitive and restricted areas following missile impacts, despite clear and repeated instructions from law enforcement officers on site, as well as prior directives issued by the Military Censor,” read a police statement released in English. “Such actions are both unlawful and irresponsible. They endanger public safety, disrupt emergency operations, and may unintentionally assist hostile actors.”
Police emphasized that the guidelines issued to the media are legally binding and intended to protect lives, preserve operational security, and ensure coordinated emergency response.
“We call on all journalists and media outlets to demonstrate responsibility and uphold the law,” the statement continued. “Those who choose to violate these restrictions will be held fully accountable in accordance with the law.”
The laws were reiterated in a letter sent to the Foreign Press Association on Monday.
Censorship remains unpopular in democratic societies. It is seen as a violation of free speech and a relic of a bygone era. Israel’s censorship law was enacted in 1966, when the country was smaller and media outlets operated under very different conditions.
But the policy remains in place because it saves lives. That’s especially true now, in the midst of a high-stakes Israeli operation aimed at preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and fulfilling its goal of annihilating the Jewish State.
On Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote to S., the new interim head of the Shin Bet security service, urging action against media outlets that violate censorship laws and pledging police assistance.
If the controversial Ben-Gvir, who has taken an uncharacteristically low profile in the current fight against Iran, moves to have a journalist arrested, it would almost certainly draw negative coverage. Israel has already been condemned internationally for bombing the headquarters of IRIB, the Iranian regime’s state broadcaster.
That strike occurred while anchorwoman Sahar Emami was live on air, pointing her finger at what she called “Iran’s aggressors.”
Moment Israel’s air strike hit Iran’s state broadcaster, IRIB. Iranian presenter Sahar Emami was on air when one of the studios got hit.
The attack followed an evacuation warning issued by Israel for Tehran’s upscale District 3, a densely populated area. pic.twitter.com/zuJx2tC7qI
— Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (@RFERL) June 16, 2025
The IDF responded by stating that the communications center was being used for military purposes by the Iranian regime, and that the strike took place an hour after Israel issued a warning to evacuate the area of Tehran where the station is located.
But the strike had further justification. IRIB, along with its English-language counterpart Press TV, serves as the propaganda arm of the Iranian regime. It disseminates disinformation, suppresses domestic dissent, and incites attacks against Israel by Iran and its proxies.
These broadcasters are an integral part of the Iranian war machine, just as Hitler’s propagandists were during World War II.
The global battle over the narrative will determine the outcome of this war, just as much as what unfolds on its seven military fronts.
And on both the military and media battlefields, Israel cannot afford to lose.
The author is the Executive Director of HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post How Western Media Have Aided the Iranian Regime’s Attacks on Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.