Monday 9 February 2015

Khelil Helwa (Hebron is beautiful)



Filmmaker and activist, Yuval Orr, has created a nine minute documentary giving an in-depth view of life in Hebron, a Palestinian city located in the southern West Bank. The film follows a 15-year-old boy, Awni Abu Shamsiya, as he struggles with everyday life in this volatile region.
Hebron is the only Palestinian city with an Israeli settlement within it. Conflicts between Palestinian civilians, Israeli soldiers and Jewish-Israeli settlers happen on a daily basis. There is a long history of violence here, including some of the worst civilian-led massacres committed by both sides since the beginning of the Jewish-Arab conflict.

In a recent report, Israeli soldiers carried out a predawn arrest campaign; arresting eight Palestinians from towns and cities across the West Bank. This included Hebron, where 23-year-old student, Abed Arraouf Ghnimat, was arrested from the town of Surif. While it was reported that an instructor at An-Najah National University and an editor for the online news website, Huna al-quds, were among those arrested, it would seem many of them were youths.
Orr’s film gives a heartbreaking view into the life of one youth in this area. Although only nine minutes long, the film clearly shows the reality of life in Hebron through the eyes of a teenage Palestinian in a way that leaves the viewer open to come to their own conclusions.

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