A Zionist Aggression (Mustafa Abu Ali, 1972) — A Film Review by Azmat Mushtaq

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] Zionist Aggression (1972), a partially scored silent short documentary of 16 mm black-and-white cinematography, is an indispensable product of the earliest example of Palestinian militant cinema, a majestic trump card of the Palestinian Film Unit (PFU).

The Palestinian Film Unit (PFU), an outfit affiliated with the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO), was established between 1967 and 1968 in Jordan with figures like Hani Jawhariyyeh, Sulafa Jadallah, and Mustafa Abu Ali. The PFU was not a traditional film production company but a niche initiative aiming to tell the Palestinian recital from Palestinian perspectives. Under the PFU, films like No to a Peaceful Solution (1968), With Soul, With Blood (1971), Scenes of the Occupation of Gaza (1973), They Do Not Exist (1974), and Palestine in the Eye (1976) were presented.

A Zionist Aggression (1972) depicts the Israeli raids on two remote refugee areas in Syria and Lebanon (the village of Da’al in Syria and the Nabatieh camp in Lebanon) on September 8, 1972, as a retaliating act in the aftermath of the attack followed on the Israeli sports delegation participating in the Munich Olympics held in Germany in 1972.

A Zionist Aggression is a metaphor for violence in contemporary times that stands out as a minimalist reflection that draws multiple parallels with the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It serves as a requiem or funerary song to the martyrs of the holy land. This film laments all that has been lost and stands as a prophecy to new transitions. Mustafa Abu Ali’s tour de force vividly captures every minute detail of those departed, never overlooking any essential aspect. The camera, moving from scene to scene, seaerches and reaches for details with precision.

Mustafa’s visual grammar is sustained on a silent symphony of horror portraying the harrowing effects of the war inflicted by Zionists on its most vulnerable victims—children. The imagery of this documentary stands as a symbol of resistance and cultural defiance at the centre of a conflict that seems interminable even in the present times. The film’s title is highly provocative as it brims with foul and anguished scenes from the occupiers. Its scenes vividly render visuals of headless or limbless children, and in some cases, with only their torsos strewn across a desolate landscape, evoking cries that are haunting and difficult to ignore.

A Zionist Aggression as a documentary stands out as a critical turning point in the stark, unfiltered chronological order of events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abu Ali’s cinematography exhibits a bleak, nightmarish atmosphere of trauma and suffering. The demolished hospitals, barren landscapes, or ruined homes symbolise a domain of no hope where bodies of martyred indigenous children seek a dignified burial. It effectively seethes with a temperament that urges the viewers to witness the diabolical approach of Zionist entities that is haunting to its core. Its non-linear structure reveals the profound imbalance between two unequal participants of what can never truly be termed as a war, but rather a one-sided massacre.

In terms of technique, Mustafa Abu Ali skillfully weaves both close-up shots of the victims and wide-angle shots of devastated towns, compelling spectators to engage deeply the locale and its lost inhabitants. The director takes on a startling approach to introduce us to the wasteland of a once-habitable land, serving as a grim reminder of an indigenous population trapped in cyclical violence. The film's triumph lies in humanising the political issue that is often reduced to a series of buzzwords within the language of media bias. It goes even further to evoke a feeling of empathy towards the victims by the spectator.

The machinery of war and the broader geopolitics are deliberately overshadowed by Mustafa’s approach to humanising the catastrophe. He pans his camera over surviving olive trees, children’s toys, keys to abandoned homes, and flowing waters in a series of images that form a symbol of heritage and resilience. The film’s inquisitive tone seeks answers to questions about the central idea of how the foundations of capitalist powers retaliate against an unequal opponent through warfare. The scale of human loss is partially measured, resulting in the deprivation of culture and identity.

This film serves as an archival artifact, helping preserve the history of violence and its devastating effects within the protracted conflict between Israel and Palestine. It represents an act of remarkable bravery and sheer defiance. The film, shot in near silence, also adds a mournful tone to its haunting visuals. When music is used, it is often minimal and somber, employing traditional Middle Eastern instruments that evoke a sense of cultural memory  and heritage. The possibility of conveying such harrowing scenes arises only through this austere, unembellished sonic atmosphere that adds to the film. Here, silence becomes the most powerful form of expression to describe the abysmal devastation that language and words alone cannot fully articulate.

This work, from a distinguished and accomplished filmmaker, brims with relentless imagery from its opening till its finale. It invokes the realities of of Zionist entities and the aggression of vaious oppressive forces. The film’s structure presents a multi-layered approach to capturing and documenting catastrophe. As a master director, Ali compels the viewers to confront the face of horror that remains urgently relevant at the present moment. This testament of Palestinian cinema is marked by a powerful achievement in the global history of resistance filmmaking, and the film continues to serve as a seminal document in the realm of resistance cinema.

Despite its bold and unfiltered stance, the film may not offer easy solutions or clear moral delineations. However, it presents a deeply felt and essential examination of the consequences of Zionist policies and the ongoing struggles for justice, peace, and self-determination in the Middle East.

In the years following its premiere, the film has been screened at multiple renowned film festivals for its exceptional and unfiltered documentation of the aftermath of a haunting event. It entered the public domain after a series of short films released by the Palestinian organisation, Provoked Narratives, in the later months of 2024.

Relevant Links

Provoked Narratives
Palestine Film Institute, October 2024
https://www.palestinefilminstitute.org/en/provoked-narratives

Provoked Narratives: Palestinian Cinema of Resistance
Athena Cinema, 23 January 2025
https://athenacinema.com/palestiniancinema/

Provoked Narratives – Screening Films on Palestine
BLOC (Queen Mary University London), 12 November 2024
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/bloc/events/items/provoked-narratives---screening-films-on-palestine.html

Provoked Narratives · 22.11.24 · 18.30H @Center for Peace & Justice
United Screens for Palestine, November 2024
https://unitedscreensforpalestine.org/provoked-narratives-%C2%B7-22-11-24-%C2%B7-18-30h-center-for-peace-justice-%C2%B7-albuquerque/

Provoked Narratives at Center for Peace & Justice
United Screens for Palestine, 22 November 2024
https://unitedscreensforpalestine.org/provoked-narratives-%C2%B7-22-11-24-%C2%B7-18-30h-center-for-peace-justice-%C2%B7-albuquerque/