13 Documentaries On The Israel-Palestine Conflict To Explore Their Deep-Rooted Dispute

The Israel-Palestine dispute is one of the most recent and complex disputes in modern world history. It has been here for decades, leading to political, cultural, and social turmoil. In this conflict, many countries support Israel because they believe they are right. But there are also many countries that believe Palestine is right.

There are also some people who do not know anything about them. So, to let the world know about different world happenings, people tend to make documentaries on this topic. Documentaries on these types of topics sometimes lead to controversy, but they also give the world information about all these things.

Documentaries on Israel and Palestine allow us to know what the conflict between them is, what type of condition they are living in, their tense political environment, and many other things. There are a number of documentaries made on this topic from which you can choose.

Here’s a curated list of the best documentaries that are based on the Israel and Palestine conflict:

1. Born in Gaza

Born in Gaza is a movie directed by Hernán Zin. This documentary presents a very close or unfiltered view of life in Gaza. It focuses on the lives of people and children living in conflicted areas. It explains the story of the ten youngsters during the conflict that occurred in 2014.

2. Ghost Hunting

Ghost Hunting is a movie directed by Read Andoni. It is a movie about a group of Palestinian prisoners who are imprisoned by Israelis. It shows a former prisoner explaining his story about being held captive by Israelis. How they get tortured and are given death experiences.

3. Gaza fights for freedom

Gaza Fights for Freedom is a movie directed by Abby Martin. It captures exclusive footage of the Great March of Return in Gaza, which started in 2018. It shows us the efforts for Palestinian rights and the Israeli response that led to the deaths of 200 unarmed people.

4. The Gatekeepers

The Gatekeepers is a movie directed by Dror Morey. For this documentary, they took the exclusive interview of former directors of Israel’s Shin Bet security agency. He shared some insights on how they faced political dilemmas to maintain national security. It uses computer animation as a means of presentation.

5. The Law in These Parts

The Law in These Parts is a movie directed by Ra’anan Alexandrowicz. This movie is about Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The West Bank and Gaza Strip used to be parts of Palestine, but Israel occupied them and set up its own legal system there.

6. Frontiers of Dreams and Fears

Frontiers of Dreams and Fears is a movie directed by Mai Masri. This movie is about two girls from Palestine who went on a journey to find a simple life in the West Bank. It shows how their friendship remains strong even during such a big conflict.

7. Tantura

Tantura is a movie directed by Alon Schwarz. It is about the Tantura massacre, which happened in 1948. Basically, it is because of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. This war led to hundreds of Palestinians losing their houses. Palestinians called it “Al Nakba,” the catastrophe, while Israelis called it the War of Independence.

8. Censored Voices

The Censored Voice is a movie directed by Mor Loushy. This documentary is based on the real recordings of the soldiers who fought during the 1967 Six-Day War. In these recordings, they can be heard talking about the consequences of war and their dilemmas.

9. Tears of Gaza

Tears of Gaza is a movie directed by Vibeke Løkkeberg. It is about the bombing by Israel in Gaza in 2008, which led many Palestinian children and women to become terrible. This documentary is made from the perspective of those affected children, about their fear, grief, and resilience.

10. Occupation 101: Voices of a Silent Majority

Occupation 101: Voices of a Silenced Majority is a movie directed by Sufyan Omeish and Abdallah Omeish. This is one such documentary that critically examines how Israel captured Palestine. It was made by critically examining and adding many interviews with many scholars and activists.

11. Checkpoint

Checkpoint is a movie directed by Yoav Shamir. This movie shows the daily conflict between Israeli soldiers and normal Palestinian people. It shows how Israeli soldiers humiliate and cause problems for Palestinian people who came to cross the West Bank.

12. With God on Our Side

With God on Our Side is a movie directed by Porter Speakman Jr. It is a documentary that shows how Americans support Israelis because they are Jews. According to their Christian myth, Jews are God-chosen people whatever they say and do is right.

13. Waltz with Bashir

Waltz with Bashir is a movie directed by Ari Folman. It is an animated documentary based on the director’s life. It is about the director’s repressed memories during the Lebanon War in 1982. It is a combination of animated and real-life interviews, showing the conflict and its effects on those who participated.