The Law In These Parts

Essentially a series of talking heads; interviews with the military judges who presided over the militarycourts in the territory Israel annexed during the 6 day war.. Mixed in, occasionally playing behind thesemen on a green screen are snippets of archival footage of the conflicts in the occupied territories.Hearing this description, one could well assume the film would be dry and academic, but the ideas beneathwhat it being quietly discussed are so powerful and disturbing that the film works as a kind of documentarytheater piece. By focusing on one specific aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli filmmakerAlexandrwicz gives a deeper sense of the legal and moral hypocrisy of Israel's treatment of the Palestiniansthan many wider ranging and flashier documentaries.By simply having these judges try to explain the odd military justice applied to the native people of the land Israeloccupied, and how the courts kept bending and twisting both words and international law to justify their actions,(for example, under the Geneva conventions, an occupying nation is not allowed to move civilians from their countryinto the occupied land. So how to make the settlements legal? The Israeli supreme court simply changed the wording,saying that henceforth the territories were no longer `occupied' but `held'. As if changing the word could justify thebehavior -- even though just about every Judge continually uses the term `occupied territory' in the film). One is leftwith a sad and sickening feeling.As these judges admit to knowing that an accused had been tortured into confessions, that not only the accusedbut even the judges themselves were often not allowed to know the details of the case and the accusations, that thejudges often had to simply take the word of the army prosecutors as to what had happened, since just about everythingwas labeled `classified', it's hard not to see echoes of the recent legal overreach in America towards terrorists.The personalities of the judges are fascinating as well. Some clearly feel guilt about their actions, other ambivalence,others are defensive, and yet others seem to blithely miss just how twisted and sad their self-justification sounds.Whatever you feel about the incredibly complex middle east situation, where there is plenty of guilt on all sides, thisfilm is a powerful indictment of how the supposed `rule of law' can become instead a cudgel to control a people,and justify questionable policy.

One cannot but be reminded of Ivan Krylov's poignant fable;The WOLF and the SHEEPOne sweltering hot day, a Sheep came upon a stream hoping to take a drink.Calamity however was soon to befall the Sheep, as a hungry Wolf happened to be scouring about nearby.Upon seeing the Sheep, the Wolf rushed towards his prey.To give his Deed the Look and Sense of LAW........The Wolf yelled out pretentiously;"You rogue, how dare you immerse your filthy mug in my pure drinking water, clouding it with silt and sand !""For such impertinence I will indeed remove your head !"The Sheep, defensively and in deference, argued;"Your Highness permitting, I dare submit that I am drinking about a hundred paces downstream ?""Your wrath is all for naught, as I cannot possibly pollute your draft of water ?"The Wolf bellowed indignantly;"And thus I lie ?!""You wretch !""Such rudeness is unheard of in this world !""And I remember, too, a couple of summers back and in this very spot, that you insulted me !"The Sheep responded curiously;"For goodness' sake, I am not yet a year old ?"The Wolf hollered emphatically;"Then it was your brother !"The Sheep exclaimed confusingly;"But I have no brothers ?"The Wolf declared argumentatively;"Then some other relative, or someone of your ilk !""You all, your dogs and your shepherds, wish me ill and want to hurt me any time and any way you are able !""But I will make you pay for all of their sins !"The Sheep inquired innocently;"But how am I at fault ?"Finally, at a loss, as he was dragging the Sheep into the woods, the Wolf screamed cynically;"Shut up !""Enough !""I have no time to sort through your transgressions !""YOU'RE AT FAULT THAT I AM FAMISHED !!"

I was thrilled to find this DVD, a used version from a library. This is an excellent film - everyone should see this.

The documentary film focuses on the execution of Israeli law in the newly-acquired territories after the 1967 war. Israeli judges from that time period are interviewed about their roles in imposing the new rule of law on Palestinians. Interviews ask their stories but also ask difficult questions. We realise the troubling and complex role the judges must assume, having to impose laws on people who are viewed as enemies of the new State. We see the seeds of present conflict planted by the laws governing untitled or "Dead", land in the West Bank. Also the judges reactions over 40 years later, as they look back on their part in the imposition of law. Occasionally the film feels long-winded, but it is I for,active and provocative. Highly recommended.

This isn't a documentary. This is a propaganda film and a very boring one at that. The interviewer doesn't allow the subjects to present their opinions and ideas. Instead, he uses the interviews to present his own world-view, all the white attempting to cast blame on the subjects. It is very easy for a filmmaker to criticize the military judges official who bear the responsibility of protecting Israeli society from fanatic terrorists, whose goal in life is to kill as many Jews as they can.While I wasn't surprised by the film's political agenda, I expected to learn from the interviews of these individuals, who played important roles in establishing the IDF-administered court system in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. But the filmmaker has no time for that. All he's interested in is airing his "enlightened" condemnation of tactics that were necessary for Israel's very survival.

The story is good the abuse of the law of people in power is reflected here very clearly dint we learn anithing from world war 2 , why our governments allow this atrocities to continue i believe we live in a Siviliced society I'm baffle by

Heavy subject matter... but interesting and well made. Thank you.