When I first previewed this unique and compelling documentary about Amira Hass, the only Israeli correspondent reporting from inside the Occupied Territories, I became fascinated by Hass and read as much as I could about her. The daughter of Holocaust survivors and Communists, she was born in Jerusalem in 1956 and was raised to question authority. Her journalism career began in 1989 as a staff editor for the daily newspaper Ha'aretz. She began writing articles on the Territories in 1991, and moved to Gaza in 1993. During her career she has received numerous journalism and human rights awards.

Hass currently lives in the West Bank town of Ramallah. She doesn't just write about Palestinians under the Occupation - she shares their lives and depicts the daily indignities and injustices they experience, at the same time showing the despair, hopelessness and hatred they endure as the result of those experiences. Even if you don't agree with her, it is hard not to admire the courage of this solitary, brave, and tenacious woman who attempts to share her perspective about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict under dangerous and difficult conditions.

"Between the Lines," originally produced for Israeli television, follows Hass for two years, beginning in 1999 as the political situation worsens. We see her stubbornly pursuing her job, moving back and forth between the Israeli and Palestinian worlds. As a single woman in a traditional, male-dominated society, she informs the public, challenges political leaders, and grapples with complex issues with undaunted commitment and professionalism. Particularly awe-inspiring are the scenes of Hass sticking to her mission despite daily bombs going off and tanks rolling by her window. Hass is unflappable in conducting her interviews, and can put someone on the spot in a relentless, provocative and yet always informed way.

Most curious is how the director convinced her to participate in this film, because Hass seems to put up a wall that avoids personal scrutiny. The film itself whets my appetite for more details about this remarkable Israeli woman. It also reminds me that the realities she illuminates must be addressed if peace is to succeed in a land torn by violence and injustice.

Sheera LaBelle, a college health nurse at USM and a member of Bet Ha'am, lived in Israel in the mid-1970s. Her sister now lives there, and her nephew is currently serving in the IDF.

2004 MJFF Program Book edited by Abby Zimet