Nazi Analogies Rarely Help
NAZA , a provocative Israeli documentary, should make viewers think about their own moral parameters. Instead, it distances them from the war.
The Israeli documentary "NAZA" is stirring strong reactions, garnering both applause and harsh criticism at film festivals. The title, a mashup of the Hebrew term for "collateral damage" and the word "Nazi," is no coincidence. The film features 24 Israeli soldiers and intelligence officers, whose faces and voices are hidden, discussing their roles in the country's retaliatory war in Gaza.
These individuals, described as "small cogs" in the system, detailed the expansion of targets from noncombatants and the increasing number of deaths they were willing to cause, even up to 500 "NAZAs" in one mission.
The soldiers admitted to the grim reality of their actions, destroying families and entire buildings during the course of their duties. While one of the interviewees mentioned it might be considered a genocide, no other participant used the term, and even Abraham and his co-director Rachel Szor only brought it up when prompted. The conversation largely lacked any mention of intent or animosity towards the enemy.
Instead, the focus seemed to be on the soldiers' thoughtlessness, with one participant comparing their role to playing a video game.
The filmmakers chose to present this material in a manner that might reconfirm existing prejudices rather than incite critical thought. Although the documentary was partially funded by The Guardian, it lacks the thoroughness of a journalistic investigation, with no corroborated claims or specific details beyond what the interviewees remember.
The disjointed narrative arises from the differing roles the soldiers described, some involving AI systems, others setting fires, and others hacking into children's phones to determine when Hamas operatives were at home.
The documentary adds insight into the psychological detachment that can occur in war, reminiscent of the Milgram experiment with real-world consequences. The film may want to serve as a mirror, prompting viewers to reflect on their own potential for such behavior. However, it opts to paint a picture of Israeli society as uniquely malevolent instead.
While the connection drawn between Gaza's destruction and deeper Zionist motives is debatable, it muddles the message of the interviews, leaving viewers with an unsettling sense of the consequences of thoughtlessness in war.
Written by urgent.news from The Atlantic's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
