Comment on Oscar contender on Palestinians angers many

Oscar contender on Palestinians angers many Associated Press Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 11:03 am, Sunday, February 10, 2013 In Israel, some are asking why the government helped fund a film so scathing in its criticism of its own policies, while Palestinians are shocked that the film is winning accolades for being "Israeli." The title refers to the number of cameras that the main protagonist, Palestinian filmmaker Emad Burnat, had broken by Israeli forces as he sought to film weekly demonstrations against the military. While the military rules over millions of Palestinians, the government funds a vibrant arts scene that is often scathing in its criticism of official policy. Almagor, a right-wing Israeli group that represents families who have lost loved ones to Palestinian violence, described the film as "incitement." Danny Danon, a hard-line member of the ruling Likud Party, said funding critical movies underscores the vibrancy of Israel's democracy, even if it provides ammunition for critics. Even though the Academy does not classify nominees in the documentary feature category by country, Israeli officials have pitched "Five Broken Cameras" as their own at the Oscars. The struggle is viewed through the eyes of Burnat's wide-eyed son Gibreel, whose first birthday coincides with the start of protests and whose childhood is shaped by demonstrations, soldiers and families fraying under pressure. Israel has said it built the separation barrier, which snakes hundreds of miles across the frontier between Israel and the West Bank, to keep suicide bombers out of the country. Israel's Defense Ministry says Bilin residents are still able to access their farmlands through a gate manned by soldiers 24 hours a day. Since the movie was made, Gibreel, now 8, has become a mini-celebrity, said his mother Suraia, 42, who logs into his Facebook account to keep track of her son's fans. Suraia, a devout Muslim Palestinian born in Brazil who speaks Arabic with a heavy accent, will join her husband at the Oscar ceremony along with Gibreel — an event few Palestinians from the West Bank ever attend.