Far-right activists held a protest outside the family home of Rachel Tzur in Savyon, Israel, after the film ‘Naza’ won an award in Venice.
Dozens of activists attended the demonstration on Wednesday evening. Protesters chanted “death penalty for traitors” and accused Tzur and co-director Yuval Abraham of portraying Israeli soldiers to the world as “murderers.”
Protesters’ party links
Activists and campaign workers linked to the far-right Jewish Power Party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, made up a significant portion of the organizers and participants.
Some social media messages posted before the protest contained explicit calls for violence.
Israeli officials take steps over documentary
The demonstration took place shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would advance two bills targeting people he accused of defaming Israeli soldiers. His remarks also referred to the documentary ‘Naza’.
On Monday, Israeli military official Eyal Zamir asked the military prosecutor to examine possible legal action against the filmmakers. Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar asked Shin Bet Director David Zini on Wednesday to launch an urgent investigation into the documentary.
‘Naza’ wins award in Venice
The film by Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Tzur won the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on Saturday.
The documentary features testimonies from Israeli soldiers and officers who served in Gaza. The testimonies describe actions including the burning of residential areas used as shelters and the killing of people during food distribution.
The filmmakers said that “Naza” is an abbreviation used by Israeli military intelligence to refer to the number of civilians expected to be killed in an airstrike.
