Pro-Israel Protesters Disrupt 'NAZA' Film Premiere in New York

Dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered outside Lincoln Center on Saturday during the North American premiere of the film "NAZA" at the New York Film Festival. Protesters, organized by the Israeli-American Council (IAC), displayed footage from the October 7 Hamas attack on LED screens mounted on trucks and called for attention to the events that led to the war. Noa Peri-Jensch, a senior IAC official, stated that "compassion for Palestinian civilians does not require us to erase October 7 or ignore Hamas." Among the attendees was Rom El-Hai, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre, who showed the audience footage he recorded during the attack.

Inside the venue, the film's creators, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Shore, addressed criticism of their work. They defended their use of anonymous testimonies, calling it a standard practice in investigative journalism. Abraham acknowledged that the film addresses the "completely unjustifiable" October 7 massacre but argued this does not justify harming Palestinian civilians.

The film, which reportedly features anonymous testimonies from individuals identified as Israeli soldiers, officers, and intelligence personnel, has sparked controversy within Israel. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have rejected the claims made in the film, with IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stating that the army "will not allow its soldiers to be targeted through lies and blood libels." Culture Minister Miki Zohar has requested that the head of the Shin Bet security agency investigate the sources of the film's material and the identities of the interviewees.