Oikeudenpalvelija (2019)

Oikeudenpalvelija (2019). 1h 54m | K-16

“Advocate is a documentary about Lea Tsemel, an Israeli human-rights lawyer, and follows her as she defends Palestinian political prisoners, one a 13 year old and the other a young married woman. The film also explores Tsemelu0026#39;s career as a young university student and then as a lawyer. Tsemel is introduced as a very controversial person in Israel but the film doesnu0026#39;t give much information about why people find her controversial aside from the fact she defends Palestinian political prisoners. The film doesnu0026#39;t contain very much information about the legal system in Israel or the history of the Occupation. Itu0026#39;s revealed that Tsemel, as a volunteer with the Israeli army, was one of the first Israelis to reach the Western Wall during the 1967 War. The significance of this isnu0026#39;t explained to the audience: if you donu0026#39;t know that Jordan annexed East Jerusalem and the West Bank after the 1948 War and wouldnu0026#39;t allow Jews to enter East Jerusalem to pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism, you wonu0026#39;t understand the impact of this on Tsemel and the other Israelis to be the first to reach the Wall. Tsemel relates that she condemned the Occupation immediately after the 1967 War, but Tsemel is never asked in the film how she felt about the Palestiniansu0026#39; lives under Jordan rule when Jordan oppressed Palestinian nationalism (just to note that Tsemel wonders in one scene why some houses near the Wall were later torn down by Israel. Itu0026#39;s not mentioned that Jordan desecrated many Jewish and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem during their 19 year long reign. Some were turned into pens for animals) . The film would have been more persuasive if it included more context and background about the legal situation in the West Bank and Jerusalem. It doesnu0026#39;t provide details about other cases in the Israeli system aside from Tsemelu0026#39;s: I would have liked to know how many cases per year in the Israeli jural system involve Palestinian political prisoners, how many of these cases involve violent attacks, and how other lawyers who defend these cases regard Tsemel. The film didnu0026#39;t include the viewpoint of anyone in the Israel legal system aside from Tsemel, such as the judges or other lawyers in her cases.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTsemel states early in the documentary that Palestinians who carry out u0026quot;armed resistanceu0026quot; are u0026quot;freedom fightersu0026quot;. Advocate doesnu0026#39;t raise any questions about u0026quot;resisting the occupationu0026quot; by stabbing innocent people aside from an brief one by a news cameraman who cries out during Tsemelu0026#39;s TV interview if u0026quot;resisting the occupationu0026quot; justifies murdering innocent people. No viewpoints were given about people who have been affected by the two people Tsemel was defending- we were told the boy said u0026quot;sorryu0026quot; to the boy who was stabbed but we didnu0026#39;t hear from the victimu0026#39;s family. In one scene Tsemel proclaims in an aside about a legal precedent of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians, but this is never explored.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAdvocate is very one sided documentary which sets out from the start to show the Occupation is oppressive. Ultimately it shows that the Israeli system and Israeli society includes people like Tsemel who are fighting for change and fighting for the human rights of those who attack it. The film would be more persuasive it included challenging Tsemelu0026#39;s viewpoint and asking the question posed by the news cameraman.”