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<em>The Gatekeepers'</em> Oscar-Nominated Director Talks Terrorism, National Security And Netanyahu
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 2, 2013
Modified Feb 2, 2013
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Feb 2, 2013
Modified Feb 2, 2013
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Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh's newest film, The Gatekeepers, is a haunting, in-depth look into the Shin Bet, Israel's security and intelligence agency. Comprised of interviews with all six surviving heads of the agency, the Academy Award-nominated documentary focuses on terrorism, national security, Israeli and Palestinian leadership, and the quest for peace. We spoke with Moreh about the film, which was spotlighted at Sundance last month, to find out what he learned from his subjects.
What gave you the idea to interview the heads of Shin Bet?
It came from a a feature-length documentary I did about [former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, in which I tried to deal with the reasons that led Sharon to the disengagement from Gaza. I interviewed his Chief-of-Staff, Dov Weisglas, who was his closest advisor and he told me that prior to Sharon's announcing the disengagement plan, there was an article that was published in a newspaper in Israel interviewing the former heads of Shin Bet. They said that they thought if Sharon continued with his policy of not speaking to the Palestinians, and maintaining or continuing the occupation in the way that it was, it would lead the Israelis to catastrophe. It was basically a game changer for Sharon, because these were guys that he knew personally, he appreciated and he talked with. I thought that if Sharon was moved by this interview, then a lot of Israelis and a lot of international figures will definitely be moved if I manage to create a movie about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the heads of the Israeli Secret Service for the first time.
In the film, many of the Shin Bet leaders seem to have taken more of a left-wing stance when it comes to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Do you think the tides are starting to turn in Israel?
In general, I don't like to call them leftists or rightists or something like that. But they are pragmatic people. They understand the use of power, they understand the limitation of power. And when they see where Israel is right now, they see that continuing the current use of power, the controlling and occupation of a civilian population that doesn't want to be occupied, that wants freedom, does not serve in the best interest of Israel, to put it mildly. If you ask me about the current administration of Israel, namely [current Prime Minister] Benjamin Netanyahu, well, I can't figure out who this person is. One day he is for a two-state solution, the next day he builds a coalition that is extremely right-wing, and three or four months ago he created a coalition that was center-left. So who is Netanyahu? I hope that Netanyahu knows who he is. What I can tell about him is that he goes where the wind blows.
Dror Moreh, courtesy Sony Pictures Classics
What effect do you think the film will have in the States?
I think that a lot of the issues that have been discussed in this film are very relevant to the American public. Especially issues related to the use of power and the 21st century's War on Terror. You have to fight terrorists that hide behind or among the civilian population. The use of techniques like assassination, drone attacks, the torturing of people in order to get intel—the ramifications of that and the morality issues that are raised in The Gatekeepers /em> are things that the American public is dealing with more and more.
We were left at the end of the film without really much of an answer from the Gatekeepers as to what needs to change—we were just sort of left with this understanding that Israel can't continue on the way that it has. Do you feel personally that there is any possible solution?
Personally, I think there is a solution. I am very bleak about it. If the international community leaves the solution up to the Israelis and Palestinians, the current administration in Israel—and also the Palestinian administration—will not be able to solve this problem. They don't have the kind of leadership they need in order to solve a problem of this magnitude. And unless the international community, headed by the United States, puts an enormous strength and force into that, nothing will happen. On the contrary, it will continue to deteriorate.
Did your conversations with the heads of Shin Bet help form your opinion, or change it in any way?
They made me more bleak, more desperate, and more aware of the shortcomings and the faults of the leadership in Israel, definitely, and of the PA. Both sides need real, good, strong leadership. And by strong I don't mean fascist, I mean people that can make the decisions that need to be made in order to solve the problem. We don't have that, regrettably.
The Gatekeepers opens today at Lincoln Plaza Cinema, located at 1886 Broadway between 62nd and 63rd Street (212-757-2280, lincolnplazacinema.com) on the Upper West Side.
Tagged
dror moreh
interview
israel
terrorism
the gatekeepers
original
Rebecca Fishbein
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