Monday, April 01, 2024
Elder of ZiyonThe version I am seeing with English subtitles feature a Netflix logo, but I have not confirmed they are indeed shown on Netflix in Arab countries. The directors is being careful not to place any explicit antisemitism as other Ramadan series have traditionally had, so they keep their platform. But they slipped a little in anyway.
In episode 4, the grandfather tells his grandson that Israel murdered hundreds of civilians in Gaza in 1956. The grandson then asks, "Don't they care about children? Don't they care about elders?"
The grandfather answers, "That's their belief, my son.. A religious and military belief."
That is a blood libel, no different from the classic "Jews drink the blood of gentile children" libel. But it was said subtly enough to make it past Netflix oversight.
The series also tries to make Egypt look like it was a defender of Palestinians throughout the decades, which is not at all true. Gaza was originally Egypt's open-air prison for all Palestinians in Egypt, and Egypt used Palestinians as cannon fodder for fedayeen attacks into Israel.
Just like today, Egypt did everything it could to bar Palestinians from entering Egypt proper.
