44 Israeli Rights Groups Back Film Directors Amid Threats

Forty-four Arab and Jewish human rights and civil society organizations in Israel have declared their solidarity with the directors of the film "Naza," Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shore. The statement comes in response to a wave of incitement and threats directed at the filmmakers.

Among the signatories are prominent groups such as Adalah, B'Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights, Standing Together, Breaking the Silence, Combatants for Peace, Ir Amim, Bimkom, Yesh Din, Sikkuy-Aufoq, and the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum.

The organizations urged Israeli authorities to halt the incitement and threats of violence against the directors and to refrain from any actions aimed at prosecuting them or their sources. They stated that the official reactions to the film and the threats against its creators are "befitting of dictatorial regimes."

Furthermore, the groups strongly rejected calls to revoke Abraham and Shore's citizenship, asserting that "citizenship is not a prize granted by the regime or the government, but a fundamental right for each and every one of us." They emphasized that freedom of expression and freedom of the press are integral to the struggle for democracy, warning that persecution and attempts to silence voices do not stop with a single individual or issue.

The organizations clarified that most signatories had not yet seen the film but stressed the critical importance of the issue it addresses: Israeli live fire policy in Gaza, which they stated cannot be ignored. Given the high number of civilian casualties and serious testimonies accumulated during the war, they called for serious investigations into suspicions, and for journalists to be allowed access to Gaza for independent and impartial fact-finding to reveal the truth, establish accountability, and draw lessons.