Istanbul’s iconic Atlas Cinema was packed on Saturday afternoon for the launch of TRT World’s investigative documentary “Holy Redemption”, which exposes how illegal Jewish settlers are systematically driving out Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank.
A panel of experts discussed various aspects of the Palestinian struggle ahead of the premiere of the investigation carried out by TRT World journalists at great risk in December last year.
“The Holy Redemption documentary not only exposes what has been hidden from the worldview but also sheds light on one of the most disturbing methods of occupation in the world,” said Mehmet Zahid Sobaci, the Director General of TRT.
“Gaza has been destroyed before our eyes, and some nations are still silent about it. As TRT, we are doing our best to document Israel’s war on Gaza.”
TRT World’s journalists have tried to fill the gap in reporting on the violence carried out by illegal Israeli settlers in Palestinian villages.
“Our TRT investigative team has achieved great journalistic success by infiltrating radical Zionist groups in the West Bank, just two months after October 7, and filming this documentary under extremely difficult conditions while risking their lives,” said Omer Faruk Tanriverdi, Deputy Director General, International Broadcasts, TRT.
"Holy Redemption"s launch comes at a particularly crucial time. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing international condemnation and scrutiny after Jewish settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Jit on August 15.
“Israel is attempting to implement ethnic cleansing because there’s a demographic crisis for the Israelis that currently favours Palestinians,” said Sami Al-Arian, the Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs at Istanbul Zaim University.
“Palestinians alone cannot dismantle these oppressive structures of supremacy and racism. Their resilience and refusal to leave the land plays a crucial role, but everyone has a part to play in ending this injustice.”
The groundbreaking documentary offers an unprecedented look into the atrocities carried out by radical settlers in the occupied West Bank, revealing the impact of these actions on Palestinian communities.
Filmed on-site in the occupied West Bank after the Gaza genocide began on October 7, it highlights the alleged support settlers receive from the Israeli state and military.
The documentary presents a chilling narrative of terror and land theft perpetrated by radical settlers against Palestinians, providing perspectives from both the perpetrators and the witnesses of these events.
By bringing these stories to the global public, "Holy Redemption" seeks to illuminate the ongoing conflict in the region and its implications.
Speaking ahead of the premiere, Issa Amro, a human rights activist, said there has been a noticeable surge in the atrocities of Israelis on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war broke out on October 7.
“It’s summer, and we don’t have water to drink,” he said while referring to discrimination that Palestinians face daily. The Israeli settlers have been allocated ten times more water supply than the Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, he said.
“Documentaries like Holy Redemption help expose Israeli fascism.”
The event, attended by journalists, activists, and academics from around the world, also saw experts speak about Israel's genocide against Palestinians and the broader implications of these actions.
Noted Israeli historian and political scientist Ilan Pappe said Palestinians shouldn’t lose heart in the face of the Israeli state’s aggression.
“The settler colonial project is beginning to unravel, but it requires substantial support and action to bring an end to the apartheid state.”
The film sheds light on a dark and largely silent second front of the war – illegal Zionist settlers stealing Palestinian land under the garb of Israel’s carnage in Gaza, which has killed 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
To make the in-depth film possible, the team behind “Holy Redemption” met Israeli activists and members of Knesset and infiltrated the radical Israeli settler groups, including the notorious Hilltop Youth.
“This documentary is so important because in the US Congress, we are constantly hearing that the problem started on October 7, and this shows that the problem started way before that,” said Medea Benjamin, an American peace activist.
“And that’s why I’d like to work to bring this into Congress to show it in the Congressional auditorium.”
TRT World’s exclusive film is based on a series of interviews and in-depth reportage. It uncovers Israel’s colonial mindset and a well-coordinated agenda between state actors and armed Jewish gangs who are bent on forcing Palestinians to abandon their ancestral homes in the occupied West Bank.
Robert Martin, an Australian pro-Palestine activist, said that while Israel tries to portray itself as a democracy to the world, the reality is different.
“On the ground, Israel is a racist state”.
