Petra is an unforgettable place. The ancient Jordan city is one of the 7 Wonders of the World and featured in Steven Spielberg's film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. My family and I visited the Middle Eastern landmark in 2019 and learned much about the troubled region's history and culture.
The U.S. Department of State considers Jordan a relatively safe country to visit, as long as tourists avoid its border with Syria and Iraq. But you could have fooled me. Barricades and armed guards surrounded our hotel in the capital city of Amman, not allowing me to forget the seemingly never-ending conflicts enveloping this part of the world.
We hired a local guide to drive us to the major landmarks. Ahmed (not his real name) was knowledgeable and friendly. He is of Palestinian descent, with his grandparents leaving Israel more than 50 years ago.
While driving to Petra, I noticed a disturbing sight. Someone painted images of two men on the back of a truck, with one being Hitler.
Amman, Jordan (February 2019)
"Ahmed, who is the man next to Hitler?" I asked.
"Oh, that's Saddam Hussein," he answered. The name sounded vaguely familiar. I later learned that Hussein was the President of Iraq, deposed by the Americans in 2003 and later executed.
"So why is he next to Hitler?" I asked reluctantly.
"It's because they both hate Jews," he answered matter of factly. After a long silence, he continued by stating, "but I love everybody. The Israelis are bad to my people, but I have nothing against the Jews." He wasn't very convincing.
The relationship between Israel and Palestine is complicated. And I wanted to better understand the continuing tension between the adversaries. I found Steven Spielberg's 2005 film Munich added to my confusion. But I did not mind because unbiased analyses are seldom straightforward. And simple explanations to complex problems are probably tainted with bias.
Munich is a fictionalized adaptation of actual events described in the 1984 book Vengeance by George Jonas. It follows a group of Israelis assigned to assassinate Palestinians responsible for killing 11 Israelis during the 1972 Munich Olympics. The movie shares a theme with Quentin Tarantino's 2009 movie, Inglourious Basterds. Both films involve Jews taking part in revenge killings. However, they have very little else in common.
Plaque honoring victims of the 1972 Munich massacre, Munich, Germany (wikipedia.org)
Tarantino's film is a fictional dark comedy, while Munich is a historical drama with no hint of humor. And more importantly, Spielberg has a sympathetic eye towards the Palestinians, while Tarantino pays little regard to the humanity of the Nazis, the target of revenge in Inglourious Basterds. Although the Munich incident was an act of terrorism, the film unexpectedly explores Palestinians' justification for the attack. Furthermore, Spielberg examines the morality of the Israeli assassins and questions whether their undertaking represents counter-terrorism or mere escalation of violence.
Showing the humanity of terrorists is a tricky proposition. Someone who sympathizes with the Palestinians may be shunned as an anti-Semite. Perhaps, Spielberg was given liberties because he is Jewish and already made an epic historical film, Schindler's List, about the Holocaust. Furthermore, Spielberg does not conclude that the Palestinian terrorists are noble. Nor does he indicate that the Israeli assassins are equally guilty of reprehensible acts. Instead, he asks the audience to consider the perpetrators' actions.
Ciaran Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Eric Bana, and Daniel Craig in Munich
After 9/11, Americans wanted justice, if not revenge. They picked a convenient target, the anti-Semitic Iraqi leader who had nothing to do with the attacks. Hundreds of thousands of people died in the Iraq War, including nearly 5000 U.S. soldiers, more than the total number of deaths suffered in the September 11 attacks. But it's unlikely that any Hollywood director will make a film trying to understand why the terrorists attacked in the first place. Most Americans believe that these radical Muslims just hate America, "freedom," and "apple pie." Any movie suggesting otherwise may be deemed unpatriotic and perhaps even treasonous.
But I would like to know why terrorists hate Americans. Perhaps there is a whole new generation of anti-Americans brewing in the Middle East because they lost family members during the Iraq War. Maybe they will replace Hitler's picture on the back of the truck with that of Osama bin Laden because he hated America, just like Hussein.
Near the end of the movie, one of the assassins becomes disillusioned with their mission and says, "Jews don't do wrong because our enemies do wrong." Perhaps that's Spielberg's message. When others are bad, it doesn't give one a license to be equally bad. Instead, one should try to understand their adversaries rather than reflexively seek revenge.
Munich is a good film. Spielberg does not take the easy route. He does not paint the Palestinians as pure evil and deserving targets of gruesome killings. Instead, he reflects on the motives behind the violence. But the movie is not for everyone. Someone who already has a strong allegiance to the Israelis or Palestinians will not enjoy the film. But, for others, Munich may be thought-provoking. As Ahmed does not represent my opinion of all Palestinians, a single movie does not resolve Israel's socio-political complexities. Munich just adds a little more information to add to my confusion. And that's not so bad.
Andrew’s Grade: B
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