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 Israel was criticized over the large number of Palestinian
civilian deaths during the conflict, including by its main ally
the United States. Over 2,100 Palestinians were killed during
the fighting, most of them civilians and many of them children,
while 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians were killed.
The two-minute documentary was posted on Thursday and like many
of Banksy's murals and other art is politically charged and
whimsical at the same time. It starts off with a view of clouds
from an airplane window while text on the screen says "Make this
the year you discover a new destination".
That destination is Gaza, which the film, using mostly text
rather than narration, says is "watched over by friendly
neighbors" - meaning Israel which patrols the sea and land
borders apart from a closed crossing with Egypt. The result is
Gaza can only be entered through one of the tunnels shown.
The film also shows Israeli soldiers on patrol, giving the
impression they are in Gaza. The troops actually are operating
at the Qalandia checkpoint in the West Bank, well known for its
mural of Yasser Arafat, which appears in the Banksy video.
Much of the short film focuses on the harsh conditions of life
in Gaza - bombed-out buildings, rubble-strewn vacant lots and
workmen trying to make repairs.
A subtitle says no cement has been permitted into Gaza since the
conflict ended. However, small amounts of cement are now
entering the territory under an agreement struck by the United
Nations allowing in reconstruction materials under tight
restrictions.
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"Development opportunities are everywhere" and there is "plenty of
scope for refurbishment", the film's subtitles say, noting that
18,000 homes in Gaza were destroyed in the conflict. The small,
densely populated territory came under Israeli air strikes and
shelling during the fighting.
Towards the end the camera focuses on a mural of a playful-looking
kitten, presumably painted by Banksy, with a man looking at it and
saying in Arabic that at least the cat found something to play with,
because the children in Gaza have nothing.
Elsewhere on his website, Banksy says that during the filming a
local man had asked him what the meaning was of the kitten. "I
explained (that) I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by
posting photos on my website -- but on the Internet people only look
at pictures of kittens."
The film ends with a message painted on a wall: "If we wash our
hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless we side
with the powerful -- we don't remain neutral."
Banksy is mostly known for his street art that often commands prices
of hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also has produced several
films, including the feature-length "Exit Through the Gift Shop" in
2010.
(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
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