Earlier this month, Rep. Pramila Jayapal and Sen. Peter Welch held a screening of the Oscar-winning documentary ‘No Other Land’ on Capitol Hill, and at the very last minute, Republicans tried to shut it down. GOP leadership decided to block the use of the Congressional Auditorium, forcing the event to relocate just minutes before it was slated to begin.
Sen. Welch described the Republicans’ move as “totally consistent with the efforts to suppress the debate and discussion about a very consequential situation in the Middle East.”
‘No Other Land’ is directed by a collective of Israelis and Palestinians, and showcases Israel’s destruction and violence in the West Bank. Despite not receiving wide distribution in the US, the film has made waves throughout the world, bringing to light the injustice and atrocities faced by Palestinians.
Mehdi moderated the panel discussion that followed the film’s screening, which also dealt with Israel's escalation in Gaza. Josh Paul, who resigned from the US State Department in 2023 over Biden’s handling of the conflict, took a moment to respond to common pro-Israel talking point that the war started when Hamas first attacked.
“Don’t you dare tell me that this conflict began on October 7th. This conflict accelerated. The tactics that we see in this movie have been accelerated both in the West Bank and in Gaza. But I think it is very clear that this is a continuation of a pattern,” he explained.
Human rights lawyer Zaha Hassan also pointed out Israel’s escalation of violence as it cuts off critical aid to Palestinians. As the US and other Western leaders continue to sit by silently, she warned, “I’m very concerned that what’s happening with what’s gone on in Gaza is we’re becoming groomed to accept mass atrocities now… It’s a problem for all of us, because we are all less safe when we don’t uphold norms that protect us all.”
Dr. Debra Shushan, former director of the J Street Policy Center, also highlighted the critical relationship between the United States and Israel, telling Mehdi and the audience, “It’s come home for me ever since October 7th, how intertwined our domestic politics are with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The impact that we have had here at home, the impact on our democracy as certain members of our society are working very hard to try to shut down pro-Palestinian activism and the impact that that is having on universities, on our democratic institutions, is absolutely profound.”
Watch the full discussion above to also hear the panel discuss Trump’s handling of the conflict, and what it’ll take for politicians to finally call Israel’s actions a genocide.
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