A JEWISH filmmaker whose latest documentary examines trauma, propaganda and political radicalisation in Israeli society, has said Western governments are becoming "complicit" by failing to take stronger action over Gaza.
Gillian Mosely's film Planet Israel sets out to understand why a significant number of Jewish Israelis support the destruction of Gaza.
A poll from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem last year found that 64% of the Israeli public believe there are "no innocents in Gaza".
During the production of the film, Mosely travelled to Israel to speak to ordinary Israelis as well as leading experts such as Daniel Bar-Tal, Julia Chiatin, and Avi Dabush.
Speaking to The National, Mosely said making the film fundamentally changed her own understanding of Israeli society and the forces shaping public opinion.
"The settlers and the religious Zionists are not some lunatic fringe like I thought they were, but have really permeated society," she said.
"The film pivoted to reflect that."
Mosely recalled an encounter with two Israeli women during the filming: “These were two otherwise lovely and well educated people, but the minute I asked them about the suffering of Palestinians they lost all empathy.”
Mosely, who is descended from a long line of rabbis and Jewish community leaders dating back more than 1200 years, said she felt a personal responsibility to make the documentary.
"I sort of felt the weight of my ancestry on my shoulders," she said. "If I'm not going to stand up to it, who will?"
The filmmaker was particularly critical of what she described as the international community's failure to intervene more forcefully.
"For me, it's the international community almost more than Israel that I blame for this," she added. "I am incredibly shocked and upset that very few governments have really stood up."
Mosely praised countries including Spain and Ireland for taking a stronger stance, adding that she believes Scotland would have done likewise were it not part of the UK.
The documentary also examines the role of media narratives both within Israel and internationally.
Mosely told The National that a slanted media environment within Israel has made it difficult for Israelis to grapple with the reality of the genocide.
“If you have very venerated news readers telling you that there's nothing going on in Gaza, then probably you're going to believe that”, she said.
Mosely also expressed concern that British media coverage frequently presents Jewish opinion as monolithic, despite polling suggesting significant divisions within Britain's Jewish community over Zionism and Israel.
"The complete lack of nuance in terms of depicting British Jews and the range of British Jewish opinion harms the country," she said. "I think that fuels anti-Semitism."
Mosely described the conflation of Judaism and support for the Israeli state as "completely toxic".
"I think we are at a stage where people are being accused of anti-Semitism when actually what they're doing is being anti-Zionist," she said.
"At the same time, there is genuine anti-Semitism on the rise from exactly where you'd expect it – Tommy Robinson and the far right – and that doesn't necessarily get addressed or called out at the moment."
The filmmaker believes external pressure will ultimately be necessary if meaningful change is to take place within Israeli society.
"What needs to happen is heads need to be knocked together," she said. "The West needs to get its act together and bring pressure that makes it impossible not to comply."
Asked why Scottish audiences should see the film, Mosely said: "This has got to the stage where anybody with a moral backbone has to realise that there's a problem here that needs to be fixed."
"If we don't do something about it, then we are complicit", she added.
Planet Israel will be screened at the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre in Dumfries at 3pm on August 1 and at the Palestine Museum Scotland in Edinburgh at 7pm on August 8.
