6 Documentaries Exploring the Israel and Palestine Conflict

The militant group Hamas led a bloody assault on Israel this past Saturday, killing hundreds and inciting a wave of sexual violence, torture and kidnapping.

In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, warning 1.1 million people to make a mass exodus from Gaza within a 24-hour deadline, forcing residents to flee ahead of a potential invasion.

Understanding the heartbreaking conflict that’s been going on in Israel and Palestine — which dates back to the end of the nineteenth century — can feel complicated, scary and altogether impossible. We pulled together a collection of documentaries that chronicle the stories of the Israelis and Palestinians, told through never-before-seen footage, intimate interviews and historical artifacts.

The Holy Land and Us: Our Untold Stories

Released in 2017, this BBC documentary examines Israel's 1948 formation while showing both the Israeli and Palestinian sides of the conflict. Hosted by Good Morning Britain's Rob Rinder and writer/actor Sarah Agha, the duo explore their genealogy in both territories (Rinder uncovers his Israeli cousin's story; Agha explores her family's roots in Palestine for the first time).

The Guardian praised the film for doing, perhaps, the impossible — offering a balanced look at each side of the issue.

"A documentary about Israel and Palestine that will make viewers on each side sympathize with the other?" critic Jack Seale wrote. "It’s an ambitious undertaking, but The Holy Land and Us: Our Untold Stories is a fine attempt at hitting that extremely narrow target."

Where to watch: Stream it on BBC.

The Oslo Diaries

Dubbed a "somber archaeological dig" by The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw, the 2017 documentary The Oslo Diaries uncovers what went down during a secret, unsanctioned peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians in the 1990s.

The story is told through readings of the negotiators' diaries, along with never-before-seen archival footage from the peace process. After starting and stopping talks three times, both sides reached a stalemate and the private summit came to a close in 1999.

Met with favorable reviews from critics, The Oslo Diaries was called "heartening and heartbreaking by turn" by the L.A. Times.

Where to watch: Stream on HBOMax.

Gaza

Filmmakers Garry Keane and Andrew McConnell take viewers to the Gaza Strip in their 2019 documentary, which tells the stories of its Palestinian residents through their own words.

In showing their day-to-day lives, Keane told University Express, the filmmakers attempted to "shine a light on the ordinary people of Gaza and to highlight the fact that they’re forgotten about in popular media." 

With a 96% critics review on Rotten Tomatoes, Gaza was deemed "a striking piece of film-making" by The Observer.

Where to watch: Stream on Prime Video

The Gatekeepers

"Anyone with a serious interest in Israel should see the extraordinary new documentary The Gatekeepers," the Jerusalem Post reporter Hannah Brown wrote in her review of the 2012 documentary.

Told from the perspective of the six remaining former heads of Israel's security intelligence operation (otherwise known as the Shin Bet), they discuss anti-terrorist operations, extremists and Netanyahu.

As the New Yorker put it, "They are all learned, sober guys, with emotions passing between triumph and regret in startling alternations." 

Where to watch: Stream on Amazon

5 Broken Cameras

This 2011 documentary, shot by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, nabbed a prize at Sundance and a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the Academy Awards.

The first-hand account follows a nonviolent resistance in the West Bank village Bil'in over the course of five years, charting one family's journey as a security barrier route is built across their farmland. Burnat collaborated with Israeli co-director Guy Davidi on the film, which was shot after the farmer purchased his first camera in 2005.

Five of the filmmaker's cameras were destroyed during the conflict, some of which were smashed and repaired. "Many cameras were hit by tear gas or bullets. One of these cameras saved my life when a soldier shot it with two bullets," Burnat told Filmlinc Daily. "So I keep this camera to remember. The bullet is still inside the camera. Other cameras were hit by gas canisters or smashed by soldiers or settlers."

Where to watch: Purchase via the Israel Film Center.

Israel: A Home Movie

Chronicling the first 30 years of Israel's formation, Israel: A Home Movie features a collection of 8mm and 16mm home movies that span from the 1930s to the 1970s. The film, released in 2013, was directed by Eliav Lilti and captures day-to-day life in Israel, while also exploring the Yom Kippur War.

The found footage holds a mirror up to the complex story of Israel, with the Hollywood Reporter calling it a "striking cinematic collage" that "provides a hauntingly personal perspective on a country that has been wracked by strife from its very beginnings."

Where to watch: Stream on Amazon Prime.