Far-right Israelis call for NAZA co-director to be hanged in protest outside parents' home - Middle East Eye

Dozens of far-right Israelis gathered outside NAZA filmmaker Rachel Szor's family home on Wednesday, demanding she be hanged over her documentary on war crimes Israel committed during its genocidal war on Gaza.

Szor and her co-director, Yuval Abraham, have faced a growing backlash in Israel since their film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that several of the protesters demanded the "death penalty for traitors".

One demonstrator said that when Szor and Abraham return to Israel, "they should be tried and go to the gallows, and the family should be expelled and the house sealed".

A far-right activist with connections to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also urged protesters to identify the filmmakers if they saw them in public.

"They won't sit in any restaurant or any place," Ben Gvir's close ally said, referring to Szor and Abraham.

"Whoever sees them should circulate it in all the groups - these scums have nowhere to run."

"This is an act of treason from within," another protester said, according to right-wing Israeli news site Walla.

Protesters were also seen holding signs reading "traitors" and waving Israeli army unit flags.

'This is not a matter of right or left," another far-right protester said, adding that Israeli society as a whole "need to denounce" the filmmakers.

Other protesters vowed to continue demonstrations against Szor and Abraham "until all of Israeli society understands that there are no more blood libels" directed against Israeli soldiers.

NAZA, directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Szor and Abraham, examines the AI-powered systems used in Israel's war in Gaza and allegations that high numbers of Palestinian civilian deaths were factored into military targeting decisions.

The documentary features interviews with 24 Israeli military and intelligence insiders, whose identities remained anonymous.

The backlash against the film has extended beyond far-right protesters, with Israeli politicians, journalists and other public figures attacking the filmmakers and questioning the documentary's claims.

According to a poll published by Channel 13 News on Wednesday, 68 percent of respondents said they did not believe NAZA's claims of intentional mass killing in Gaza, while 13 percent said they believed them.

The poll also found that 48 percent supported banning the film from being screened in Israel, while 32 percent opposed such a ban.

The protest came as the backlash against NAZA and its directors intensified following the film’s success at the Venice festival.

Since NAZA won the Special Jury Prize on Saturday, Israeli politicians, journalists and members of the public have attacked Szor and Abraham, accusing them of treason and calling for their citizenship to be revoked.

On Sunday, Culture Minister Miki Zohar called the film "despicable" and said he would "act immediately to revoke the Israeli citizenship of these despicable creators on the grounds of treason against the state".

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined Zohar in attacking the filmmakers, saying he would introduce two bills targeting those who "defame" the Israeli military.

Netanyahu said the first bill "would revoke the citizenship of anyone who defames soldiers," while the second would increase "twentyfold the amount in damages for which they can be sued for defamation".

"They have no place among us," Netanyahu said of those who "defame" the Israeli army.

The Israeli military has also rejected the allegations in the film, despite not having seen it, with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordering legal action against Szor and Abraham with the help of the Shin Bet, according to Israeli media.

Israeli journalists have also questioned the film's credibility and attacked its creators.

"One good thing came out of the film NAZA," Michael Shemesh, a political correspondent for left-leaning Channel 13 News, said on Tuesday, adding: "There is a price for defamation." He also praised Israelis for uniting to denounce the film.

Amit Segal, a Channel 12 News journalist and one of Israel's most prominent journalists, compared NAZA with Adolf Hitler's antisemitic book Mein Kampf on Tuesday.

After the Union of Journalists in Israel, the country's largest journalists' union, condemned the attacks against Szor and Abraham, Segal said the union "is a supporter of Hamas's propaganda ministry," implying that the filmmakers were working in the service of the Palestinian armed group.

But a Channel 12 News report said military and diplomatic officials were unhappy with the attacks against Szor and Abraham, warning that they portrayed Israel as a country that “does not allow freedom of expression”.

The officials also accused Netanyahu of using the controversy surrounding the film for his own political interests.

"Israel is trapped between what is right for it internationally and what is right for politicians electorally," the officials said.