Israeli filmmakers bring counter ‘NAZA’ programming to Capitol Hill

At least one attendee at a recent Capitol Hill screening for a film called “NAZA” was hoodwinked into believing it was a hard-charging look at Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip.

But instead of watching the internationally lauded documentary investigating Israel’s responsibility for the more than 70,000 Palestinians killed in the three-year war, a little more than a dozen people were treated to a counter-narrative in the Rayburn House Office Building on Oct. 15.

Sharing the same title, “NAZA: The real story” focused on the cynical tactics by Hamas, the U.S.-designated terrorist organization, to exploit civilians and civilian infrastructure as a shield against Israeli attacks. The film also discusses the horror Hamas wrought in its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

Ariel Averbuch, a reserve major in the Israeli military, is one of three Israeli filmmakers who spent two weeks putting together “The real story” in response to the critical acclaim “NAZA” received when it was shown at the Venice film festival in September.

That film — “tough to watch, and impossible to ignore,” according to The New York Times — looked at allegations Israel carried out war crimes by intentionally directing attacks against civilians.

“We did not bother refuting each and every lie,” Averbuch said in an interview with The Hill before the screening on Capitol Hill. “We spoke about what Hamas actually does in the strip, how they operate, their methods of operations.”

The dueling films underscore the pitched public relations battle over Israel, whether it’s a country defending itself against a heinous adversary, or acting without boundaries in a bid for regional dominance.

The original “NAZA” was written and directed by Israeli investigative journalists Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and produced by the British newspaper The Guardian. Drawing on reporting published over the course of the war, Abraham and Szor’s film presented interviews with concealed subjects, detailing the Israeli military’s evaluation of civilian collateral damage — “nezek agavi” in Hebrew, or the acronym NAZA — when weighing attacks against Hamas.

In one prominent clip featured in the trailer, an anonymous interviewee described approval for killing up to 500 civilians for one target — an allegation the Israeli military rebutted in a 10-page rebuke of the film .

Abraham and Szor’s “NAZA” received an unprecedented 25-minute standing ovation when it showed at the Venice Film Festival in September and received its Special Jury Prize. It is expected to be widely available for streaming online in November.

Film reviews called it “ devastating ,” “ harrowing ,” and a “ bombshell ” for its investigation into the decision-making and technology used to identify a target and evaluate the number of civilians likely to be killed.

But “NAZA” triggered intense controversy in Israel, with critics alleging shoddy journalism and others accusing it of blood libel .

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded a criminal probe into the anonymous soldiers interviewed, said to be from the military’s elite 8200 intelligence unit. Israel’s culture minister has threatened to revoke the filmmakers ’ citizenship.

Critics of the original NAZA say that the recognition Israel weighs civilian collateral damage is proof of its adherence to international law.

But even critics contend that a major conversation is missing in Israeli society, over whether Israeli standards around civilian deaths were gratuitous, or necessary for security purposes.

“Yes, we can argue about whether we abuse the category of what you and I are calling collateral killings. That’s the crucial conversation we need to have,” Yossi Klein Halevi, an American-Israeli commentator, said on his podcast “For Heaven’s sake,” discussing “NAZA”.

But for Averbuch, the film’s premiere in Venice was a call to action, to go on the “offense” against the allegations of Israel’s war conduct.

The screening on Capitol Hill was organized in part by the Endowment for Middle East Truth, a nonprofit that promotes itself as “proudly non-partisan, pro-America, pro-Israel and pro-truth.”

It was scheduled within a week to take advantage of Averbuch hosting screenings in New York, landing on a bad week for attendance, as lawmakers and staff are campaigning in the month of October. A few Congressional staffers sat through the screening held in the Gold Room of the Rayburn building.

There was no applause when the film ended. Three different Congressional staff approached by The Hill refused to be interviewed.

One person was overheard talking to the organizer that she expected “the opposite story” from what the film showed.

Both sides of the U.S. political aisle are grappling with growing anger at Israel over its war in Gaza and role in pushing President Trump into the ongoing war with Iran.

There’s a deep divide in the Democratic Party, and smaller-scale revolt among Republicans, calling for ending U.S. military support, with concerns that Israel’s military conduct violates U.S. law requiring adherence to international humanitarian law.

In July, nearly half of House Democrats voted in favor of an amendment authored by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to end U.S. military assistance to Israel, a stunning coalition that included stalwart Israel supporters and Democratic leaders.

Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) voted yes to signal opposition to the Netanyahu government and “a perpetual cycle of war.”

In September, nearly all Senate Democrats voted in favor of a failed resolution to force a report on Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, which centered accountability for American-Palestinian victims.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who sponsored that resolution, also authored a report titled “The Netanyahu government is implementing a plan to ethnically cleanse Gaza of Palestinians”.

National elections in Israel on Oct. 27 and the U.S. midterms on Nov. 3 will undoubtedly have an impact on the future of bilateral relations. Trump has teased whether he will endorse a candidate in Israel’s election, a possible threat to Netanyahu amid strains in the relationship.

And while U.S.-Israel relations are a lower priority for American voters over things like affordability, it’s sure to be a driving force for some voters across the political spectrum.

Favorable views of Israel among Americans have fallen to an all-time low, according to a recent survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. While attitudes have sunk deeply among Democrats, they are declining among Republicans too. A majority of Americans favor reducing or eliminating U.S. military aid to Israel.

The Chicago Council noted favorability began to drop during Israel’s war against Hamas, and declined further amid the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran.

Asked which audiences Averbuch is trying to reach with his film, given the showing on Capitol Hill, he said it’s a warning to everyone about the dangers of Hamas.

“For us it’s vital for people to understand this is not just Israel’s war, this is literally a war against extreme ideology that is coming over to the West,” he said.