My Dearest Enemy
Encyclopedia
My Dearest Enemy is an Israel
i documentary
that takes a behind-the-scenes look at Israel's secret diplomacy by sharing the highly-anticipated meeting between Israeli Amnon Lipkin-Shahak
and Palestinian
Hani El Hassan—both powerful leaders in opposite camps.
’s right-hand men. The filmmakers worked exhaustingly to organize this unofficial meeting between two powerful people who have more in common than might be expected.
“We’ve worked on this handshake for more than a year,” the filmmaker says as Amnon enters the room and greets Hani.
This is the first time that the two leaders have met face to face, but it’s not the first time they’ve come in contact with each other. In 1968, Amnon lead an Israeli offensive that faced Palestinian
guerrilla soldiers led by Hani, and in 1973 both men were in Beirut
during Israel’s raid on Lebanon
. Now, instead of interacting from behind guns, the two sit comfortably in an air-conditioned room, talking over finely prepared meals and red wine.
But instead of staying fixed in the conference room, the film offers a glimpse into Amnon and Hani’s personal lives to expose the roots of their political beliefs. Breaking from his discussions with Amnon, Hani goes to visit his childhood home in Haifa
, which has now become the holy site of Elija’s tomb
. The day trip stirs up resentment and frustration in Hani, who is forced to remember his bitter, violent departure from the home that had been the peaceful sanctuary of his youth. Walking beside the stone walls, he remembers how Israeli Haganah
soldiers spoke disrespectfully to his mother and abused him before forcing the family to leave their home. “Amnon always talks of trust,” Hani says, “but how can I trust someone who stole my land and who takes a little bit more of it every day?”
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
that takes a behind-the-scenes look at Israel's secret diplomacy by sharing the highly-anticipated meeting between Israeli Amnon Lipkin-Shahak
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak is a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Member of the Knesset andMinister of Transportation and Tourism.-Military service:Lipkin-Shahak started his military service as a teenager in the military boarding-school in Haifa...
and Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Hani El Hassan—both powerful leaders in opposite camps.
Summary
The film follows a heated conference between two men who have the power to instigate change. Amnon was the chief-of-staff of Israel’s military, and Hani was one of Yasser ArafatYasser Arafat
Mohammed Yasser Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian leader and a Laureate of the Nobel Prize. He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization , President of the Palestinian National Authority...
’s right-hand men. The filmmakers worked exhaustingly to organize this unofficial meeting between two powerful people who have more in common than might be expected.
“We’ve worked on this handshake for more than a year,” the filmmaker says as Amnon enters the room and greets Hani.
This is the first time that the two leaders have met face to face, but it’s not the first time they’ve come in contact with each other. In 1968, Amnon lead an Israeli offensive that faced Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
guerrilla soldiers led by Hani, and in 1973 both men were in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
during Israel’s raid on Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. Now, instead of interacting from behind guns, the two sit comfortably in an air-conditioned room, talking over finely prepared meals and red wine.
But instead of staying fixed in the conference room, the film offers a glimpse into Amnon and Hani’s personal lives to expose the roots of their political beliefs. Breaking from his discussions with Amnon, Hani goes to visit his childhood home in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, which has now become the holy site of Elija’s tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
. The day trip stirs up resentment and frustration in Hani, who is forced to remember his bitter, violent departure from the home that had been the peaceful sanctuary of his youth. Walking beside the stone walls, he remembers how Israeli Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
soldiers spoke disrespectfully to his mother and abused him before forcing the family to leave their home. “Amnon always talks of trust,” Hani says, “but how can I trust someone who stole my land and who takes a little bit more of it every day?”
See also
Other Israeli Documentaries about the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians:- The Land of the SettlersThe Land of the SettlersThe Land of the Settlers is a five part documentary series created by Chaim Yavin, who was described by the Arab News as "the Israeli version of America’s Walter Cronkite". With a handheld camera, Yavin traveled throughout his homeland of Israel and interviewed a range of Palestinians and Israelis...
- All Hell Broke LooseAll Hell Broke LooseAll Hell Broke Loose is a 1995 Israeli documentary that follows the victims of a Hamas suicide bombing in Israel a year after the attack.-Summary:...
- On the Green Line
- Nadia's Friend