Palestinians and Israelis pursue conflicting visions of justice in the West Bank, zeroing in on the explosive issue of the Israeli settlements: its protagonists are both Israeli settlers and the Palestinians and Israelis who oppose them.
On a desolate West Bank hilltop, 50 Israeli families live in house trailers, yards littered with rusting tricycles and old furniture. This is Migron, the largest illegal settlement outpost, built in defiance of international law and the Israeli courts. From 2011 through 2012, a battle about the fate of Migron rages through Israel's politics and Supreme Court. Israeli anti-settlement activist Hagit Ofran leads the struggle against Migron. She is an underdog -- her group, Peace Now, is a shadow of what it once was. Powerful forces are arrayed against her. Thus unfolds the story of "Holy Land," an unprecedented, multi-character documentary about a tumultuous year in the West Bank. Director/producer Peter Cohn comes to the story with an outsider's unaffiliated perspective, gaining intimate access to the lives of key players on both sides. They include an Orthodox Israeli settler, a young Palestinian journalist, the progressive mayor of a Palestinian town and the Rabbi Menachem Froman, settler rabbi and peace advocate. It's a cross section of the West Bank never seen in one film: right and left, secular and religious, from Hasidim to Hamas.
On a desolate West Bank hilltop, 50 Israeli families live in house trailers, yards littered with rusting tricycles and old furniture. This is Migron, the largest illegal settlement outpost, built in defiance of international law and the Israeli courts. From 2011 through 2012, a battle about the fate of Migron rages through Israel's politics and Supreme Court.
Israeli anti-settlement activist Hagit Ofran leads the struggle against Migron. She is an underdog -- her group, Peace Now, is a shadow of what it once was. Powerful forces are arrayed against her.
Thus unfolds the story of "Holy Land," an unprecedented, multi-character documentary about a dramatic and tumultuous year in the West Bank. The film zeroes in on the explosive issue of the Israeli settlements: its protagonists are both Israeli settlers and the Israelis and Palestinians who oppose them. They are idealists pursuing conflicting visions of justice, heroes or villains depending on your perspective.
Director/producer Peter Cohn comes to the story with an outsider's unaffiliated perspective, gaining intimate access to the lives of key players on both sides. They include an Orthodox Israeli settler, a young Palestinian journalist, the progressive mayor of a Palestinian town, and Menachem Froman, the unconventional settler rabbi who believed that Jewish settlers can play a major role in reconciliation between the West and the Islamic world. It's a cross section of the West Bank never seen in one film: right and left, secular and religious, from Hasidim to Hamas.
As the action shifts from Palestinian villages to Israeli settlements, there are many unexpected turns: blood is shed, loved ones are lost, and homes are destroyed. "Holy Land" is also a story of families with children growing up and grandfathers facing death, of generational passage in a land of conflict and faith, and of the rhythms of life in a majestic landscape of mountains, deserts, vineyards and olive orchards.
"Holy Land" offers a comprehensive look at politics and society in the West Bank. The story is gripping, action-packed and ultimately hopeful. Non-didactic and unflinching, "Holy Land" is a film that challenges conventional viewpoints about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
