The Oscars as a whole and director Jonathan Glazer's speech in particular showed exactly how distorted the anti-Israel rhetoric surrounding the war has become, from apathy at its best to open calls for violence against Jews around the world at its worst Case.
The British-Jewish Glazer film “The Zone of Interest” is a German-language film about the family of the commandant of Auschwitz, who lived on the site of the death camp during the Holocaust. The film was named best international feature film.
In his acceptance speech, Glazer read a written statement alongside the film's producer James Wilson, who is also of Jewish descent, and said on stage: “All of our decisions were made to reflect on and confront the present: not to say: 'Look what'.” that's what they did back then” [but] more like “what we do now.” Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst; it has shaped our entire past and present.
Glazer continued: “Right now we stand here as men who refute [both] Their Jewishness and the Holocaust have been hijacked by an occupation that has created conflict for so many innocent people…” After a pause for applause, the award-winning director continued: “…whether the victims of October 7th in Israel or the ongoing Attack on Gaza – all victims of this dehumanization. How do we resist?”
A quick reminder when it comes to Israel
There is no denying that humanitarian aid is essential and that the people of Gaza are suffering – but that was not the point on Sunday evening. What happened at the Oscars exemplifies how twisted it is that the world's memory is so short: How did this start? Who started this? Who broke a ceasefire, killed 1,200 people and captured innocents? Director Jonathan Glazer poses with the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for the United Kingdom's “The Zone of Interest” in the Oscar photo room at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, March 10, 2024. ( Photo credit: Carlos Barria/Reuters)
What Glazer is doing here, and what many are doing, is equating the October 7 attack – and Israel's military offensive in response to it – under the guise of “dehumanization.” One of the worst acts of dehumanization that the modern world has witnessed in recent history is precisely the calculated genocide of the Jewish people during the Holocaust.
The difference is that during the Holocaust, the Jews who were targeted had no fighting army, no tunnels, no ideology of extermination of another people, and no way to prevent the attempted genocide perpetrated against them. October 7th would be a second such genocidal attack on Jews. A tragic and costly war ensued – one that may end if Hamas releases the hostages, but no one at the Oscars called for it.
Another thing Glazer did was identify “occupation” as the root cause of suffering in that war, reducing a complicated regional conflict to a far too flippant and irresponsible word.
What was missing from this speech in particular, and the evening in general, was nuance. There wasn't a single hostage pin at the Oscars, but there were plenty of red ones symbolizing “Artists4Ceasefire.” Ramy Yousef, an author, actor and producer, said the Pins were calling for “an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine” to ensure security.
While well-intentioned, it lacks the nuance and knowledge necessary to have this discussion. The fighting must end, but calling for a unilateral ceasefire helps no one – except Hamas and other Israel and Jew haters. This leaves the hostages in Gaza in the hands of the genocidal terrorist group, as well as the rest of Palestinian society there, under a dictatorship that has ruled there for 16 years since it forcibly took over the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority.
One can and should argue about Israel's methods, about power dynamics, about everything, but one cannot argue that what was should continue to be.
It's not about convincing the world that Israel is right. There is room for discussion about this, there are questionable actions by individual soldiers, there are reports – we cannot and must not ignore this.
But equating Israel's actions with those of Hamas is factually incorrect, morally bankrupt and empty apologetics.
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