The Sons of Eilaboun
Encyclopedia
The Sons of Eilaboun is a 2007 documentary film
by Palestinian
artist and film maker Hisham Zreiq
(Zrake), that tells the story of the Nakba in Eilaboun and Eilabun massacre
, which was committed by the Israeli army during Operation Hiram
in October 1948. The film tells the story of the Palestinian exodus of 1948 in Eilaboun, a village in the Northern Galilee
between Nazareth
and the Sea of Galilee
. In the incident, fourteen men were killed and twelve of them were executed. The villagers were expelled to Lebanon
and became refugees for few months, before managing to return clandestinely.
The film is the story of the film maker's family, and specially his father's story. Hisham Zreiq explained why he made the film when he said "He choked and his eyes were full of tears, and with a trembling voice he said 'I remember it as if it has just happened' -- this is the way he ended the story, the story of a nine-year-old boy from a small village called Eilaboun, in Palestine 1948, the story of my father, when he was a refugee".
Hisham Zreiq was honored by Ramiz Jaraisy
the mayor of Nazareth
and by Dr. Hana Sweid
is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset from Eilaboun, where Ramiz Jaraisy described the film as important work, that tells the Palestinian story in a contrast with the dominant Israeli version.
talks about Plan Dalet
, a plan that David Ben-Gurion
and the Haganah
leaders in Palestine worked out during autumn 1947 to spring 1948. Pappe discusses the details of the plan, and how was it carried out. On October 30, 1948, the Israeli army entered Eilaboun at approximately 5 AM. They then forced the villagers together in the main square of the village. They chose seventeen young men. Five of them were taken as human shield, and the rest of the twelve were killed, each in a different location. This all happened after the expulsion of the rest of the village to Lebanon, where they became refugees after a five days forced march to Lebanon. After a United Nations
peace keeper observed and reported Israel was forced to allow the people back.
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...
by 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...
artist and film maker Hisham Zreiq
Hisham Zreiq
Hisham Zreiq , also spelled Zrake, is an award-winning Palestinian Christian Independent film maker, poet and visual artist. He began working in computer art in 1994, and in 1996 started exhibiting his work in galleries and museums....
(Zrake), that tells the story of the Nakba in Eilaboun and Eilabun massacre
Eilabun massacre
The Eilabun massacre was committed by soldiers of Israel Defence Force during Operation Hiram on 30 October 1948. A total of 14 men from the Palestinian Christian village of Eilabun were killed, 12 of them executed by the Israeli forces after the village had surrendered...
, which was committed by the Israeli army during Operation Hiram
Operation Hiram
Operation Hiram was a military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It was led by General Moshe Carmel, and aimed at capturing the upper Galilee region from the Arab Liberation Army forces led by Fawzi al-Qawuqji and a Syrian battalion...
in October 1948. The film tells the story of the Palestinian exodus of 1948 in Eilaboun, a village in the Northern Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
between Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. In the incident, fourteen men were killed and twelve of them were executed. The villagers were expelled to 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...
and became refugees for few months, before managing to return clandestinely.
The film is the story of the film maker's family, and specially his father's story. Hisham Zreiq explained why he made the film when he said "He choked and his eyes were full of tears, and with a trembling voice he said 'I remember it as if it has just happened' -- this is the way he ended the story, the story of a nine-year-old boy from a small village called Eilaboun, in Palestine 1948, the story of my father, when he was a refugee".
Hisham Zreiq was honored by Ramiz Jaraisy
Ramiz Jaraisy
Ramiz Jaraisy is the mayor of Nazareth.Jaraisy was born in Israel. He holds a B.Sc in mechanical engineering and an M.Sc in civil engineering , both from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. He established two Arab-Israeli student unions, first for the Technion, and subsequently a...
the mayor of Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
and by Dr. Hana Sweid
Hana Sweid
Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born to a Christian family in Eilabun Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset for Hadash.-Biography:Born to a Christian family in Eilabun Dr. Hana Sweid is an Israeli Arab...
is an Israeli Arab politician and member of the Knesset from Eilaboun, where Ramiz Jaraisy described the film as important work, that tells the Palestinian story in a contrast with the dominant Israeli version.
Synopsis
The film starts with Melia Zreiq, an old woman from Eilaboun, saying: "I hope God will bring peace to this land, and let the peoples live together - a good life. I hope there will be peace". Historian Ilan PappeIlan Pappé
Ilan Pappé is a professor with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies at the University of Exeter in the UK, director of the university's European Centre for Palestine Studies, co-director of the Exeter Centre for Ethno-Political Studies, and political activist...
talks about Plan Dalet
Plan Dalet
Plan Dalet, or Plan D, was a plan worked out by the Haganah, a Jewish paramilitary group and the forerunner of the Israel Defense Forces, in Palestine in autumn 1947 to spring 1948. Its purpose is much debated...
, a plan that David Ben-Gurion
David Ben-Gurion
' was the first Prime Minister of Israel.Ben-Gurion's passion for Zionism, which began early in life, led him to become a major Zionist leader and Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization in 1946...
and the 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 :...
leaders in Palestine worked out during autumn 1947 to spring 1948. Pappe discusses the details of the plan, and how was it carried out. On October 30, 1948, the Israeli army entered Eilaboun at approximately 5 AM. They then forced the villagers together in the main square of the village. They chose seventeen young men. Five of them were taken as human shield, and the rest of the twelve were killed, each in a different location. This all happened after the expulsion of the rest of the village to Lebanon, where they became refugees after a five days forced march to Lebanon. After a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peace keeper observed and reported Israel was forced to allow the people back.
Awards and festivals
The film won the Al-Awda award in Palestine 2008 , and was screened in several festivals and events, such as:- Sixth Annual International Al-Awda Convention 2008, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA - Boston Palestine Film FestivalBoston Palestine Film FestivalThe Boston Palestine Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Boston, Massachusetts which shows the Palestinian narrative to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Started in 2007, the 2008 version highlighted Palestinian expulsion, also known as al-Nakba, while the opening night film was ...
2008, USA - International İzmir Short Film Festival 2008, IzmirIzmirIzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe... - Amal The International Euro-Arab film Festival 2008, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- Carthage Film FestivalCarthage Film FestivalThe Carthage Film Festival is a biannual October film festival hosted by the government of Tunisia. It alternates with the Damascus International Film Festival....
2008 (Palestine: To remember section), CarthageCarthageCarthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area... - Regards Palestiniens, Montreal, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Chicago Palestine Film FestivalChicago Palestine Film FestivalThe Chicago Palestine Film Festival is an annual film festival begun in 2002 in Chicago and is one of the most important venues in the US for the screening of Palestinian cinema. It accepts works in a variety of genres — documentaries, dramas, comedies — in both long and short formats...
, Chicago, USA - 13th Annual Arab Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA
- Sixth Twin Cities Arab Film Festival, Minnesota, USA
- Palestine Film Festival in Madrid, 2010, Spain
- Al Ard Doc Film Festival, 2011, Cagliari, Italy