A new ‘Merchant of Venice’ slanders Israel

The article criticizes the documentary “NAZA,” directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which received the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The author argues that the film slanders the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) by falsely accusing them of atrocities, comparing it to the antisemitic themes in Shakespeare's “The Merchant of Venice.” The article asserts that the IDF is a highly moral army, often endangering its own soldiers to protect civilians, even in the context of the October 7 attacks by Hamas. It highlights instances where IDF soldiers risk their lives to clear booby-trapped structures on foot to ensure no civilians are present, rather than using safer aerial strikes. The author also criticizes Israeli political figures, including members of Yair Golan’s Democrats Party and Gadi Eisenkot, for either praising or remaining silent about the film, suggesting this validates the defamation of Israeli soldiers.