Occupation 101: Voices of the Silenced Majority
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance… it is the illusion of knowledge. A thought-provoking and powerful documentary film on the current and historical root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unlike any other film ever produced on the conflict – Occupation 101 presents a comprehensive analysis of the facts and hidden truths surrounding the never ending controversy and dispels many of its long-perceived myths and misconceptions. The film also details life under Israeli military rule, the role of the United States in the conflict, and the major obstacles that stand in the way of a lasting and viable peace. The roots of the conflict are explained through first-hand on-the-ground experiences from leading Middle East scholars, peace activists, journalists, religious leaders and humanitarian workers whose voices have too often been suppressed in American media outlets.
The film covers a wide range of topics – which include – the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880’s, the 1920 tensions, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, Settlement expansion, the role of the United States Government, the second Intifada of 2000, the separation barrier and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as well as many heart wrenching testimonials from victims of this tragedy.
Watch the full documentary now






May 18th, 2009 at 05:45
What about the killing of all the Isralie children, the killing of innocents.
All Arabs want to push the Nation of Israel into the sea!!!!
You lie in the Occupation 101.
TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH –IF YOU DARE.
ONLY COWARDS BLOW UP INNOCENT PEOPLE.
June 29th, 2009 at 03:54
Funny thing subee is that israel has been pushing the arab people to that extreme due to israel’s “expansion.”
Also the whole point of this documentary was to tell it from the other side. I think everybody knows that some extremist arab groups are killing innocents, but the main problem, as the documentary shows, is that nobody knows how it all started. I blame it on anti-semiticism that was abundant in europe after WWI and WWII. Both mainly from Britain and Germany. So case in point much like the Israelis being pushed around by europe and fighting back is quite like what the Palestinians are doing; everyone has a breaking point and really what did Israel expect?
July 12th, 2009 at 09:00
Instead of just claiming that the doco tells lies subee why don’t you detail some of those lies I dare you I double dare you.Only murdering scum hide behind historical atrocities against European Jews to justify the slow but sure strangling of the native population of Palestine-and sometimes not so slow-the 4th most powerful army in the world,using modern jets,helicopters,tanks,missiles,artillery,navy-kills without mercy a trapped,unarmed civilian population.In your pathetically shallow view you stoutly claim a huge lie-that the Arab states want to push Nuclear armed US backed,ethnic cleansing,land stealing Israel,with the aforementioned 4th most powerful army into the sea,with CAPITALS AND EXCLAMATION MARKS!!! grow up.
July 15th, 2009 at 05:22
I think it is so ironic that Jews, who were murdered and repressed during WWII, were so quick to become murderers and repressors at the first chance they got. I am just a fairly ignorant American, trying to become more educated on world events…past and present. But it seems obvious to me that the abusees have become the abusers. That is tragic.
July 26th, 2009 at 22:51
I THINK IT IS A GREAT, EDUCATIONAL MOVIE. It tries to give us an idea of how and why this occupation started. ANOTHER GOOD ONE TO WATCH IS LIFE IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE.
July 28th, 2009 at 10:01
From SUBEE
“What about the killing of all the Isralie children, the killing of innocents.
All Arabs want to push the Nation of Israel into the sea!!!!
You lie in the Occupation 101.
TELL THE WHOLE TRUTH –IF YOU DARE.
ONLY COWARDS BLOW UP INNOCENT PEOPLE.”
What an odd and stupid post. You want people to tell the whole truth, and you seem to think you know it, but you are WILLINGLY ignorant of the truth. Here is the truth.
Before The creation of the Israeli state,the majority of the people living there were Palestinians- Fact
Palestinians were forcefully moved out of their homes and oppressed to make room for the Jews- Fact
Palestine and their neighbors rebelled to the occupation and were beaten back by Israel and the U.S. Then Israel took it upon them to further their occupation by taking territory not given to them by the UN in 1948. That occupied land is not recognized by the UN as Israeli Land- Fact
Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes and other buildings to build settlements in land that does not belong to them- Fact
Israel uses Palestinians as Human shields- Fact
Israel is building a wall to encircle the west bank so that Palestinians can not enter or leave- Fact
Israel is committing calculated ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian populations and rape of Palestinian Land. Fact
Israel routinely murders innocent people in Israel but it’s only acknowledged when a war breaks out in which case the number of civilians dead on the Palestinian side is almost 50% – Fact
Palestinians get 3rd class treatment all over the occupied land by having fewer employment(check the stats sunshine), Absurdly low pay(check them again), third world health care care, and so on and on.
You’re right when you say that cowards blow up innocent people. However, it’s a bit hard to ask a Palestinian to support peace when he sees his family and people humiliated at checkpoints on a daily basis.
Those who “blow themselves up” do so out of anger and hatred because the world has forgotten them and Israel is destroying them. It’s not excusable but who is more guilty? Those few who blow themselves up or a RECOGNIZED state committing even worse atrocities to the point where the UN wanted to impose sanctions on them? The Palestinians couldn’t possibly do this because they don’t have their state, a state promised to them over 50 years ago that still doesn’t exist.
Greetings from Michigan. To hell with Zionism.
Ivan
July 28th, 2009 at 10:12
And as Rob kindly pointed out the obvious to anyone who doesn’t live in a cave. The possibility of anyone pushing Israel into the see is laughable at best. It would never happen because no Arab state, yet alone the poor non-recognized Palestinian one, would be capable of such an immense feat.
It’s a bit hard to take you seriously,SUBEE, when you produce such stupidity and lack of knowledge regarding this topic(Yet I can see from the large letters that you’re passionate about)on a public website. I SERIOUSLY recommend that you do some research and find out the whole truth. The Oppressed have become the Oppressors and our American tax dollars fund it on a daily bases.
The occupation must end. Peace and Justice for Palestine!
August 9th, 2009 at 22:32
Subee, whilst i might respect your views I am saddened and disgusted by the Zionist propoganda machine that constantly scout the media/net for any form critism of Isreal with a view to demonising them and presenting such views as anti-semitic. A bunch of facist Europeans may have caused a holocaust to the jews, but the real holocaust today has been unleashed by Zionists and their supporters. Hamas and the likes are the creation of Isreali injustice and Zionist policy. You reap what you sow. So start to get real with the truth. Americans should get to know the REAL truth and not rely on Zionist controlled media. We Americans need to get wise and realize where the problem really lies. Easy Rider
October 24th, 2009 at 02:25
The satanist illuminati was behind the protocol of learned of the elder zion, it means the israel occupation is a satanic action. Every good jewish knew that zionism is satanist.
November 18th, 2009 at 21:13
A very good documentary that one can learn a lot from. Thank you producers and Vlatko for putting this up on your site.
December 18th, 2009 at 00:36
i remember along time ago before i knew anything about israel or even what zionism meant i had a teacher from israel she served in the the army and i remember her saying how can people use their religios beliefs to kill people(this was during 9/11) and remember asking her what gives you the right to be in israel and she said in her religion god promised them the holy land. that never made sense to me?
January 4th, 2010 at 06:46
this doc is highly educational. it teaches of how Zion came to exist. I mean if that’s some thing you knew and are for Israel’s expansion, then you do not deserve the the freedom you have. it should be you who is isolated within the very lands your people before you ran free in.
if after you watch this and can side with Israel’s illegal expansion, occupation, and military regime, which is the cause of this conflict (conflict’s not even the word. the right word would be invasion.)well those people deserve to be locked in a cage were there favour of these inhumane actions may never be free.
January 22nd, 2010 at 22:28
I have a feeling that “SUBEE” didn’t even watch the video. They mention the “pushing into the sea” bit and say how false it is, considering that Israel is the one pushing Palestine into the sea. They mention the Israeli children killed, in comparison to the vast majority of Palestinian children killed. All Arabs want is to be f*cking left alone! All Arabs want is the power to control their own lives!
If you opress a people, they will fight back. PERIOD! It’s as simple as that. Why is it so hard for people to understand this? There is absolutely no reason why Jews and Arabs can’t share the Holy Land. It doesn’t belong to one group and one group only, it belongs to everyone.
January 22nd, 2010 at 23:01
@ Subee
Only for you:
www DOT informationclearinghouse DOT info/article21911 DOT htm
@ Tyler
“Why is it so hard for people to understand this?”
Insert sheeple instead of people in your comment, and then you’ll see you don’t even need to post your [rhetorical] question!
January 29th, 2010 at 05:25
“What an odd and stupid post.”
>> Ivan is right! There is an odd and stupid post with unsubstantiated propaganda. It’s his.
“You want people to tell the whole truth, and you seem to think you know it, but you are WILLINGLY ignorant of the truth. Here is the truth.”
>> “the truth?” or rather Ivan’s particular truth that validates his bigotry? And no, criticism of Israel is not automatically anti-Semitism. It is anti-Semitism when you make up “facts” and have special definitions and standards for Israel.
“Before The creation of the Israeli state, the majority of the people living there were Palestinians- Fact”
>>WRONG! ALL the people, every last one, were Palestinians the same as people living in Texas are Texans and people in Virginia are Virginians. Believe the Arab scholars, political leaders, and religious leaders who gave official testimony to international organizations from the 1930s through Israel’s rebirth that there was no such thing as Palestine or Palestinians. Beyond that President Assad of Syria made speeches that Israel was actually Southern Syria and that Arabs in Palestine were Syrians. Investigate the media, journals, and textbooks of the day and you’ll find that it was Palestinian Jews that were mentioned. THIS IS FACT! (Caps are for Rob/grow up)
“Palestinians were forcefully moved out of their homes and oppressed to make room for the Jews- Fact”
>> WRONG! Research contemporary documents and media and you’ll find that the majority of Arabs in Palestine who left never saw Israeli soldiers. If your propaganda was true it would be proof that the Israelis were woefully inefficient as the Arabs who chose to remain are now 20% of the Israeli citizens. THIS IS FACT!
“Palestine and their neighbors rebelled to the occupation and were beaten back by Israel and the U.S. Then Israel took it upon them to further their occupation by taking territory not given to them by the UN in 1948. That occupied land is not recognized by the UN as Israeli Land- Fact”
>> WRONG! Occupation of what? Former land of the now defunct Ottoman Empire allocated for the Jewish state? The rest of the eastern part of the Mandate was offered by the UN for another Arab country but it was rejected with an all-or-nothing stance by Arab leaders. The Arabs living in the Mandate area officially designated for Israel had been engaged in attempted genocide since the 1920s. Elementary research supports this statement. School children can easily find documentation to prove that the Arab league and neighboring Arab states, several also created from former Ottoman land, declared their goal of exterminating the Jews! THIS IS FACT!
“Israel continues to demolish Palestinian homes and other buildings to build settlements in land that does not belong to them- Fact”
>> WRONG Again! Have you heard of zoning ordnances, eminent domain, or public land? More Israel homes are demolished for unlicensed building than for Arabs. Are you advocating that Arabs can build homes without permits on land they don’t own but Jews can’t build even on land they purchased? THIS IS FACT! Sounds like religious apartheid.
“Israel uses Palestinians as Human shields- Fact”
>> WRONG Again! …to an extent. The may be examples of soldiers violating procedure who used civilians as shields but they are the exception. Arabs using human shields is the rule. Arabs who indoctrinate their children that to die while serving as a human shield for terrorists trying to kill Jews is a righteous act of martyrdom are obscenely committing child abuse. I do believe the Arab leaders who brag about the use of human shields and the love of death being instilled in their children.
“Israel is building a wall to encircle the west bank so that Palestinians can not enter or leave- Fact”
>> WRONG Again! It’s misleading to call a security barrier between terrorists and their innocent civilian targets a wall when it’s 97% fence. The other 3% is a wall where fences can’t protect people from snipers. It’s stupid to say that a barrier on only one side of an area completely encircles it. NO barrier exists along Jordanian border. No barrier existed until terrorism got out of hand. Thank God so many Muslim, Christian and Jewish lives have been saved by the barrier. No terrorism = No security barrier. THIS IS FACT!
“Israel is committing calculated ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian populations and rape of Palestinian Land. Fact”
>> WRONG Again! If your accusation were correct then it’s pretty sure those darn Israeli’s aren’t any good at ethnic cleansing. After all, the population figures for Palestinian Arabs have been increasing like rabbits. (check the stats sunshine) As for the term ‘Palestinian Land,” good luck finding reference to it before 1967. To the world, which happens to include Arabs, anyone living in the region of Palestine was called a Palestinian. Newspapers worldwide referred to “Palestinian Jews.” By the way, it’s not difficult to find contemporary evidence of Arabs crying insult when called Palestinian and demanded to be instead recognized as part of the Arab nation, or southern Syrians. THIS IS FACT!
“Israel routinely murders innocent people in Israel but it’s only acknowledged when a war breaks out in which case the number of civilians dead on the Palestinian side is almost 50% – Fact”
>> WRONG Again! Unbelievable hogwash. Anyone committing murdering is brought to trial and there’s no rejoicing in the streets as happens after women and children are slaughtered by Arab terrorists. Not even like action caught on camera when Arabs celebrated the World Trade Center bombings. No Jew or any civilized person would conduct themselves in such a manner. You 50% figure doesn’t hold up under even a trace of investigations. (check the stats sunshine) THIS IS FACT!
“Just “Palestinians get 3rd class treatment all over the occupied land by having fewer employment(check the stats sunshine), Absurdly low pay(check them again), third world health care care, and so on and on.””
>> WRONG Again! Indeed economics deteriorated after civilian affairs were turned over to the Palestinian Authority as a major Israeli concession for peace. Unfortunately the vast amount of aid money went not for nation building but rather was directed toward destroying a nation, Israel. This was indeed unfortunate since by every standard, life improved dramatically during Israel’s governance of the disputed territories. (check the record sunshine)
“You’re right when you say that cowards blow up innocent people. However, it’s a bit hard to ask a Palestinian to support peace when he sees his family and people humiliated at checkpoints on a daily basis.”
>> WRONG Again! So if you are humiliated when someone is trying to save lives it’s ok with you to kill people? Only a psychopath would consider that the only option. Sane people would work towards ending the terrorism which resulted in life saving measures being instituted. And just why are the checkpoints in place and whose actions determine when they are removed? There were few if any checkpoints and freedom of movement back an forth with thousands employed in Israel before Arab leadership unleashed terrorism against Israel after conventional warfare failed to accomplish the oft stated goal of killing all the Jews and destroying their homeland.
“Those who “blow themselves up” do so out of anger and hatred because the world has forgotten them and Israel is destroying them.
>> WRONG Again! Absurd. Over a hundred million legitimate refugees have been resettled since WWI, many in cultures alien to them. Yet the few hundred thousand Arabs from the former British Mandate of Palestine have been refused return to a normal life by a leadership who views their condition as a political issue rather than a humanitarian one. Research the Arab League’s Khartoum conference and its directives.
“The Palestinians couldn’t possibly do this because they don’t have their state, a state promised to them over 50 years ago that still doesn’t exist.”
>> At least you’re consistent. Wrong! Israeli statesman Abba Eban once said, “Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Arabs controlled every square inch of land they now demand for another state yet formed organizations like the Palestinian Liberation Organization. To liberate what? Their all-or-nothing attitude has yielded diminished possibilities ever since the 1938 Peel Commission. Lest we forget, Palestinians do have a state. After it was created their identity became Israelis and they were joined by Arab Jews who were expelled from the middle east and north Africa as well as the remnants of European Jewry. The resurrection of Israel happen not because of the holocaust, but despite it. Twenty years later the Arabs from that region decided to identify themselves by the label they once vehemently denied existed, Palestinian. All they have to do to gain sovereignty over another new Arab country is NOTHING! No terrorism! No instilling love of martyrdom and hatred of Jews in their children. Nothing!
>> Regards Sunshine from Mikep, a proud Zionist who believes in objective truth and not lies and misconceptions repeated long enough until people believe they’re true. Your response, which will be predictably trite, groundless, contain straw dog constructions and will attempt to distract readers from the core issue, genocidal Arab religious apartheid and intransigence, is eagerly awaited.
p.s. What kind of uninformed person rants that Israel is expansionist while ignoring the return of land won in defensive wars as a bold risk for peace. The same kind that is ignorant to the demographics of Israel: a plurality of citizens are from the Middle East and North Africa; one in five citizens are Arab Muslims; and a growing number of new citizens are from Ethiopia. What kind of person? – Ask Rob and EasyRider.