Did you see the documentary Precious Life about a Palestinian baby being treated in an Israeli hospital?
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JLeslie (
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August 22nd, 2012
It’s playing on HBO. It’s about a Palestinian Baby crossing into Israel for medical care to save it’s life. A $50k procedure. A Jewish Israeli who lost his son in battle donates the money for the medical treatment. The mother at one point says she would be fine with any of her children being a suicide bomber, and I admit it pissed me off! That if they die it is no big deal, everyone dies. That life is not precious. Later she says she said those things to be a good Arab, worried what people were saying about her back home.
I thought to myself how interesting it was this “save face” statement. Also, it angered me that the culture requires an Arab to feel this way, to believe this way. I think this woman would never want to her children to be suicide bombers, but I also think she would probably go along with it push came to shove, because she feels no power as a women.
The movie made me hope that these types of gestures do build bridges to peace. Demonstrates to Palestinians there are many Israelis who want peace, who don’t hate. But, I was not so sure. I wish I was sure.
What were your feelings and impressions during the movie.
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7 Answers
@trillian, because, ugh, hate to say it, the culture is so against the peace process. She felt she needed to be just fine with people blowing themselves up to be accepted by the closest people to her. So they are not suspicious of her. I don’t think this of all Palestinians, I have friends who are Palestinian, but they live in the US, some still have family left behind, and some have family that have moved to Jordan.
There was a Q here when Romney made that statement about the Palestinian culture compared to the Israelis (which I think he should not have said) and jellies talked about how the Palestinians are how they are because of how Israel treats them, and their living conditions. I think it is so much more complicated than that. I do think everything contributes to the situations, but as long as their goal is not peace, but to get Jerusalem/Israel back, no compromise, and they believe Jews want to kill them all, and they want to kill all Jews, the whole thing is a mess. Again, just a part of the people, I am not saying all. But, they seem to have significant influence.
It happens all the time. But bombing and terror always grab the headlines; if it bleeds it leads.
@zensky What happens all the time? That Palestinians cross into Israel for medical treatment?
The reason the movie caught my interest was because a friends of mine, he is Palestinian-American and she is Jewish-American, had told me about a charity that raised money for Paoesians to get medical care in Israel. They told me about it maybe 3 years ago.
Did you see the movie?
Yes. Israeli doctors help out a lot. It just doesn’t make the news.
@zensky That doesn’t surprise me at all that Israeli dotors help all the time. The movie did not make it sound like the doctors were doing something no one would ever think. Not from my point of view. It was more the amazing donation someone made to pay for the medical care considering his own son had been killed, and how the Arab family was surprised they were treated like any other family in the hospital. Not segregated, their other children who were there were given gifts on chanukah like all the other children at the hospitals, the nurses and doctors treated them like any other patient, etc. It’s what the mom of the sick baby says about halfway through the movie….you want just send her back with her baby and not give a shit.
I always say the big difference in the Abrahamic religions are the Muslims overfocus on life after death, the Jews focus on life and barely think about death, and the Christians are somewhere in the middle. You see it in the film too.
I don’t condone all things Israeli, of course, however Golda Meir said it best; when the Arabs love their children more than they hate the Israelis – there will be peace. It’s not black and white, but you hit it on the head when you wrote: I always say the big difference in the Abrahamic religions are the Muslims overfocus on life after death, the Jews focus on life and barely think about death.
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