Heart of Jenin. Palestinian father of son killed by Israeli troops donated his organs to Israeli children

Ismael Khatib

Andy Carling tells about the documentary film, Heart of Jenin.

One year later, [the father, Ismael Khatib] toured round Israel in the company of German film maker, Marcus Vetter, and visited five of the children who had received transplants. Asked why, Khatib said, “It’s not about politics, about Jews or Arabs, it’s about human beings. I see my son in these children.” The resulting film, Heart of Jenin, is neither mawkish or sentimental, but uncomfortable viewing, dealing with the divides between peoples and the complexities of individual responses to the conflict.

Both Israeli and Palestinian film festivals initially refused to show it then relented.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.