Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., March 11, 2008 Adar2 5, 5768 | | Israel Time: 16:08 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Director of the film 'Jenin, Jenin,' Mohammed Bakri (Nir Kafri) Last update - 22:08 09/03/2008 'Jenin, Jenin' director tells court film based entirely on truth By Ofra Edelman, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Israel, Jenin, IDF  The director of the film "Jenin, Jenin," Mohammed Bakri, testified on Sunday in the libel suit brought against him by five Israel Defense Forces reserve soldiers that he would swear on all holy books that there were no falsehoods in the movie. Judge Michal Nadav of the Petah Tikva District Court recommended the parties reach an agreement. Their lawyers refused the judge's proposed agreement, but said they would try to compromise. Advertisement Bakri's film critically depicts the IDF's Operation Defensive Shield in Jenin in 2002, and ascribes war crimes to the army. The five reservists argued that the movie had sullied their good name because the public knew they took part in the operation, after an interview they gave and another movie in which they appeared. One scene in "Jenin, Jenin" depicts an armored personnel carrier moving toward a group of Palestinians, and someone shouting, "It's going to run them over." The next scene shows bodies being removed, creating the false impression than the APC had killed the Palestinians. When asked by attorney Amir Tytunovich why he had edited the film this way, Bakri said he never imagined anyone would think the tank had run over the Palestinians. Bakri conceded that the tanks had not run over the Palestinians, although the photographer, whose excited voice can be heard in the background, obviously thought it was going to. Bakri said he had never admitted this editing was a mistake, but Tytunovich then showed the court a televised interview in which Bakri admitted he had made a mistake and would not do so again if he were to remake the film, "if only to avoid what you are now saying." Bakri said he would swear that everything in the film was true because he believed people, although he had not checked everything because he is "not an investigator, a policeman or a lawyer." The IDF's operation in Jenin stirred controversy after the Palestinians termed the event a massacre, suggesting that some 500 people had been killed during the raid. About five days after the foogjtomh. a Palestinian minister told the UPI news agency that the death toll had reached into the thousands, adding that Israel had buried the victims in mass graves under razed buildings. A subsequent UN investigation found that a total of 52 Palestinians had been killed during the clashes, most of them armed militants. Twenty-three IDF soldiers were also killed in the fighting. Related articles: Sderot as Stalingrad, Hamas as blind Samson T.A. cinema to screen 'Jenin, Jenin' on eve of director's libel trial Jenin, Jenin Bookmark to del.icio.us   Bring down the house Knesset speaker calls for wrecking of yeshiva killer's family home. Frum and fabulous Beauty salons offer Haredi women a unique brand of modest glamour.   1.   What "holy" book would that be? 20:25  |  McQueen 09/03/08   2.   WHEN WILL YOU EVER LEARN?????? 21:01  |  Brant 09/03/08   3.   Lies are the nature of Arab/Muslem sicieties . 21:25  |  TOMY 09/03/08   4.   Shakran 21:30  |  NoTo This Hatred 09/03/08   5.   Whoes truth? Did he read Egytian news stories by the gunmen? 21:31  |  De 09/03/08   6.   "Never imagined"??!! 21:53  |  Skeptic 09/03/08   7.   Home grown Israel hater given stage 21:59  |  Mr Ipp 09/03/08   8.   Bakri the Palestinian propagandist 22:00  |  Ilana 09/03/08   9.   My local neighbourhood Mag 22:26  |  H 09/03/08   10.   They have their Leni Riefensthal...(although not their Ben Gurion 22:57  |  Alain 09/03/08   11.   # 7 Ilana 23:19  |  christa 09/03/08   12.   Swearing on all the books in the world 23:49  |  Oscar 09/03/08   13.   Bakri would buy the Brookly Bridge 00:30  |  Joe Sittizen 10/03/08   14.   Liar Liar pants on fire 00:33  |  Connie 10/03/08   15.   jenin 00:42  |  R 10/03/08   16.   Bulldozers 01:17  |  James Holstun 10/03/08   17.   In any ideology "truth" is whatever usefull for that ideology 01:54  |  Boris 10/03/08   18.   Sort of like an Israeli Michael Moore... 01:55  |  Aphemia 10/03/08   19.   tomy of ny 02:40  |  ali 10/03/08   20.   James Holstun -You`ll believe anything 02:44  |  Avrum 10/03/08   21.   Just like the Protocols of Zion, eh Bakri 03:44  |  William 10/03/08   22.   James Holstun#8 - in praise of "defenders" 03:53  |  William 10/03/08   23.   Ilana#7 - Leftists and Pal propagandists are one 03:59  |  William 10/03/08   24.   Ali#11 - the history of Islam and Jews 04:06  |  William 10/03/08   25.   jenin criminals must get brought to justice 04:06  |  no other way out 10/03/08   26.   Jenin Jenin 04:40  |  avigayil 10/03/08   27.   To all, check this out 04:56  |  x 10/03/08   28.   He must pay for slander 05:05  |  judith 10/03/08   29.   Bakri, What Was Your Real "Director`s Cut" From The PA`s ... 05:16  |  Lavi 10/03/08   30.   moon landings didn`t take place either all faked like all films 05:18  |  ralph 10/03/08   31.   #13 - Ali 08:07  |  Michael 10/03/08   32.   `Lies are the nature of Arab/Muslem sicieties .` 08:22  |  Colin Wright 10/03/08   33.   Time for him to renounce his Israeli citizenship 08:47  |  Susan 10/03/08   34.   jenin jenin lier lier 09:13  |  sakeeneh 10/03/08   35.   Ali forget about history open your eyes now 09:19  |  leela 10/03/08   36.   Dirty Lies By Mohammed Bakri 09:32  |  Proud Israeli 10/03/08   37.   To Colin... 09:37  |  Stayin Alive 10/03/08   38.   His name is enought - Mohammed Bakri film is false 09:44  |  Johnny 10/03/08   39.   Remember the Iraqi Information Minister 11:30  |  DJStahl 10/03/08   40.   We should thank Bakri 12:05  |  Barry Geltman 10/03/08   41.   to james#16 14:39  |  lynn 10/03/08   42.   Search for Truth motivates Documentaries 15:16  |  AliciaYasmeen 10/03/08   43.   Protest too much? 15:38  |  Steve from Raleigh 10/03/08   44.   a vicious propagandist -the falsehood of pallywood 15:46  |  don 10/03/08   45.   What compromise? Either the director is guilty of libel or not 16:28  |  Realist 10/03/08   46.   answering "What "holy" book would that be?" 18:41  |  Just 10/03/08   47.   Well the IDF did run over others 19:19  |  Marilyn 10/03/08   48.   re #37 Stayin alive `to Colin` 19:20  |  Colin Wright 10/03/08   49.   re #5 `whoes truth...` 19:23  |  Colin Wright 10/03/08   50.   Colin,US tanks`ve burried alive hundreds of Iraqi soldiers 20:49  |  Absolute Sweden 10/03/08   51.   The EU Bastards Love This Guy 06:58  |  Tod Zuckerman 11/03/08

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