Report source: the guardian
The Israeli filmmaker, who won the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival, said he had received death threats and his family's physical safety was threatened because German officials labeled the award ceremony an "anti-Semitic" event. This forced him to delay his return to Israel.
29-year-old Yuval Abraham won the Best Documentary Award at the Berlin Film Festival for his work "No Other Land". This documentary chronicles the destruction faced by the West Bank village of Masafer Yatta.
In his award speech, Abraham strongly condemned the current situation of "apartheid" and called for a ceasefire in Gaza. It was one of several important moments at the closing ceremony of the Berlin Film Festival to show support for Palestine. His remarks subsequently caused huge controversy in the German media, with some politicians even claiming that they had "anti-Semitic" overtones.
Abraham told the Guardian in an interview: "As the son of a Holocaust survivor, calling for a ceasefire in Germany, but being stigmatized as 'anti-Semitic' is not only disheartening. "I don't understand what Germany wants to do against us," he further stated. "If this is Germany's way of dealing with the Nazis' guilt over the Holocaust, then they are effectively eviscerating the Holocaust of all meaning."
Abraham had originally planned to return to Israel the day after the closing ceremony. But when he learned during his stay in Greece that the Israeli media had described his speech as anti-Semitic, and that this characterization was based in part on remarks by German officials, he changed his plans to return home.
He said that in addition to receiving death threats on social media, people also showed up at his family's home in Israel, forcing them to evacuate out of fear for their safety.
"My grandmother was born in a concentration camp, and most of my father's family died in the Holocaust." Abraham said, "You can criticize our acceptance speech, you can say that we should have mentioned the events of October 7, all of which These criticisms are all valid. But Germany is now weaponizing 'anti-Semitism', a term meant to protect Jews, not only to silence Palestinians but also to silence those who criticize the occupation and the use of 'apartheid' 'Shut up Jews and Israelis about the word 'anti-Semitism.' Such behavior is dangerous because it dilutes the meaning of the word 'anti-Semitism.'"
At Saturday's ceremony, Abraham's Palestinian filmmaking partner Basel Basel Adra said it was difficult for him to celebrate the success of his film when the people of Gaza were "being massacred and massacred" and urged Germany to stop arms exports to Israel. Abraham said he was deeply concerned for the safety of Adela, who had returned to his village in the West Bank surrounded by Israeli settlements.
"Basel lives under occupation and is at risk of reprisals from the army or settlers at any time." Abraham said, "His situation is much more dangerous than mine."
In response to the controversy caused by the Berlin Film Festival award ceremony, Germany's Minister of State for Culture and Green Party politician Claudia Roth is facing public pressure to resign.
Ross's office issued a statement on the x platform on Monday, aiming to clarify that he was accused of applauding only Israelis and not Palestinians. The statement noted that Rose's applause was directed at Jewish-Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham for speaking out in support of political solutions and peaceful coexistence in the region. Additionally, Ross' office said it was "shocking" reports of death threats against Abraham.
Abraham commented on this: "This divide and rule strategy feels more familiar in military occupation. We will remain united because our film envisions a future of living together and enjoying equal rights."
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