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cleoenfaserum · 11 days ago

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THE SHORT FILM DOCUMENTARY by JOCELYN SAAB: (1976) South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege.

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link https://ok.ru/video/10002972871219

TEXT:

I picked AI GPT algorithmic brain in the following conversation explaining what the message of the film was all about. I feel that in order to understand with today’s mentality of a repeating history, this conversation, hopefully, will enable a better understanding of the film.

I asked AI GPT the following question iniciating the conversation. What is the argument the director of this short documentary (South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege), is trying to make. I am having difficulty understanding it, firstly, it is in French and the subtitles are difficult to follow. What is their point and has it had any impact.

ChatGPT said: ”South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege” is a 1976 short documentary directed by Lebanese filmmaker Jocelyne Saab. The film focuses on the Israeli attacks on the Lebanese villages of Kufr Shuba and Hanine during the Lebanese civil war. Saab’s approach deliberately avoids filming the Palestinian resistance, instead highlighting the military dynamics and the impact on Lebanese civilians. She exposes the complicity between the Phalangists and the Israeli army, denouncing the misinformation propagated by Lebanese parties and the injustices inflicted upon Lebanese civilians in the south. The documentary underscores that the Israeli army targeted not only Palestinians but also knowingly destroyed Lebanese villages.

At the time of its release, the documentary served to shift the narrative by highlighting to a European audience that the Israeli army was not only targeting Palestinians but also knowingly destroying Lebanese villages. The film was screened at festivals, including Doclisboa in 2019, indicating its continued relevance and impact in shedding light on the complexities of the Lebanese civil war and the regional dynamics at play.

While the film may not have achieved widespread mainstream recognition, it has been acknowledged in film retrospectives and festivals, reflecting its enduring significance in documenting and critiquing the events in South Lebanon during that period.

You said: What is your take on it.

ChatGPT said: Jocelyne Saab’s South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege is a powerful piece of documentary filmmaking that challenges dominant narratives about the Israeli military’s actions in Lebanon. Instead of centering the Palestinian resistance — which was often the focus of media coverage — Saab turns the camera on Lebanese civilians, revealing the destruction of villages and the suffering of people caught in the crossfire of geopolitical conflicts. This shift in perspective is crucial because it exposes the broader consequences of military aggression beyond the immediate Israeli-Palestinian struggle.

Her decision to highlight the complicity between the Phalangists and the Israeli army also adds a layer of complexity, showing that the Lebanese Civil War was not just a simple two-sided conflict but a web of alliances and betrayals. The film’s refusal to sugarcoat the role of Lebanese factions in the violence makes it more than just an anti-Israeli indictment — it’s a critique of all those who contributed to the suffering of civilians.

Its impact seems to have been strongest in film and academic circles, particularly in retrospectives of Saab’s work. While it may not have shaped policy or mainstream discourse in a significant way, its continued screenings suggest it remains relevant in discussions about Lebanon, Israeli military actions, and war journalism. In many ways, Saab was ahead of her time, using documentary film to counter propaganda and misinformation, a battle that remains just as important today.

If you’re struggling with the subtitles, I’d recommend looking for any essays or analyses on the film that might break down its key themes in more detail. Would you like help finding more resources?

You said: It doesn’t seem things have changed much as the Israelite Zionist regime also seems they are all about, genocide. What do you think?

ChatGPT said: The patterns of violence, occupation, and displacement that Jocelyne Saab documented in South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege sadly remain relevant today. The Israeli military’s actions, particularly in Gaza and the West Bank, have led many to accuse the Israeli government of committing war crimes and engaging in policies that amount to genocide. The destruction of entire neighborhoods, the killing of civilians (including women and children), and the blockade that has created a humanitarian crisis have all been widely condemned by human rights organizations.

The word genocide is strong and carries legal and historical weight, and while it has been used by figures like South African officials in their case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), there are, of course, those who reject the term, arguing that the actions are part of a military conflict rather than an attempt to exterminate a people. That said, when you look at the scale of destruction, forced displacement, and dehumanizing rhetoric used by some Israeli officials, the comparison is difficult to ignore.

One of the most alarming aspects is how little accountability there seems to be. Israel receives extensive support from Western nations, especially the U.S., despite growing protests and criticism. This is another reason why Saab’s film still resonates — because it shows that the Israeli military’s actions against Lebanese civilians in the 1970s were not isolated incidents but part of a broader strategy that continues today.

What do you think? Do you feel that awareness of these issues has increased, or do you think history is just repeating itself while the world looks the other way?

You said: Do you agree with the U.N definition of genocide and how it fits the Zionist campaign against the region and in particular Gaza?

ChatGPT said: Yes, the UN definition of genocide, as established in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, includes any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group:

Killing members of the group

Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group

Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part

Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group

Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group

Applying this to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, several points raise serious concerns:

Mass civilian casualties: Thousands of Palestinians, including large numbers of children, have been killed in airstrikes and military operations.

Deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure: Homes, hospitals, and refugee camps have been bombed, leading to conditions where survival itself is increasingly impossible.

Blockade and deprivation: Cutting off food, water, medical supplies, and electricity is a clear example of creating conditions that bring about a population’s destruction.

Dehumanizing rhetoric: Some Israeli officials and military leaders have made statements that suggest an intent to destroy or remove Palestinians from Gaza altogether.

Given this, it is understandable why the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) — brought by South Africa — has specifically accused the Israeli government of genocide. Even if some argue that Israel is engaged in a war with Hamas, the scale of civilian suffering and destruction raises serious legal and moral questions under the UN definition.

So, yes, the UN’s definition does align with what is happening in Gaza, and it is why so many scholars, human rights groups, and governments are now openly using the term genocide.

Do you think the international community will act on this, or do you expect the same cycle of impunity we’ve seen before?

You said: Relating to Lebanon and Zionist, I presume, it also applies and is this what the documentary is all about?

ChatGPT said: Yes, the UN’s definition of genocide can also be examined in the context of Israel’s actions in Lebanon, particularly in South Lebanon, which is exactly what Jocelyne Saab’s documentary South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege highlights.

How it applies to Lebanon: From the 1978 invasion (Operation Litani) to the 1982 full-scale invasion and subsequent 18-year occupation (1982–2000), Israel’s military campaigns in Lebanon involved:

Massacres and large-scale civilian killings (e.g., Sabra and Shatila Massacre, carried out by Israeli-backed Phalangist militias while Israel oversaw the area)

Destruction of entire villages and forced displacement of Lebanese civilians

Systematic bombings of civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and homes

Torture and mass imprisonment of Lebanese and Palestinian detainees, particularly in the notorious Khiam Prison (run by Israel’s proxy, the South Lebanon Army)

The documentary by Saab is significant because it captures this early phase of Israeli attacks on Lebanese villages, focusing on the destruction of civilian life rather than military engagements. She exposes not just the physical devastation but also the complicity of certain Lebanese factions (such as the Phalangists) in supporting Israel’s actions.

Is this genocide?: While the Lebanese war context involved multiple factions and complex alliances, certain Israeli actions — such as indiscriminate bombings, the blockade of southern Lebanon, and massacres — fit within the UN’s genocide framework, particularly regarding the deliberate targeting of civilian populations and forcing conditions that lead to their destruction.

So, yes, Saab’s documentary is essentially exposing an early chapter in what could be seen as a pattern of Zionist violence against civilian populations in the region — Lebanon then, Gaza now.

Impact of the Documentary: At the time, Saab’s film was one of the few documentaries challenging Western narratives, which often portrayed Israel purely as a “defensive force.” Though it did not change policy, it remains an important historical record that connects past Zionist military strategies to what we see today in Palestine.

WATCH THE SHORT FILM DOCUMENTARY BELOW:

link https://ok.ru/video/8149656734258

#1536 #HORT FILM #DOCUMENTARY #South Lebanon: The Story of a Village Under Siege #1976 #Dir. JOCELYN SAAB #2025-04-02

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