I envisioned This Land Is Mine as the last scene of my potential-possible-maybe- feature film, Seder-Masochism, but it’s the first (and so far only) scene I’ve animated. As the Bible says, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
This Land Is Mine from Nina Paley on Vimeo.
Who’s Killing Who? A Viewer’s Guide
Because you can’t tell the players without a pogrom!
Early Man
This generic “cave man” represents the first human settlers in Israel/Canaan/the Levant. Whoever they were.
Canaanite
What did ancient Canaanites look like? I don’t know, so this is based on ancient Sumerian art.
Egyptian
Canaan was located between two huge empires. Egypt controlled it sometimes, and…
Assyrian
….Assyria controlled it other times.
Israelite
The “Children of Israel” conquered the shit out of the region, according to bloody and violent Old Testament accounts.
Babylonian
Then the Baylonians destroyed their temple and took the Hebrews into exile.
Macedonian/Greek
Here comes Alexander the Great, conquering everything!
Greek/Macedonian
No sooner did Alexander conquer everything, than his generals divided it up and fought with each other.
Ptolemaic
Greek descendants of Ptolemy, another of Alexander’s competing generals, ruled Egypt dressed like Egyptian god-kings. (The famous Cleopatra of western mythology and Hollywood was a Ptolemy.)
Seleucid
More Greek-Macedonian legacies of Alexander.
Hebrew Priest
This guy didn’t fight, he just ran the Second Temple re-established by Hebrews in Jerusalem after the Babylonian Exile.
Maccabee
Led by Judah “The Hammer” Maccabee, who fought the Seleucids, saved the Temple, and invented Channukah. Until…
Roman
….the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and absorbed the region into the Roman Empire…
Byzantine
….which split into Eastern and Western Empires. The eastern part was called the Byzantine Empire. I don’t know if “Romans” ever fought “Byzantines” (Eastern Romans) but this is a cartoon.
Arab Caliph
Speaking of cartoon, what did an Arab Caliph look like? This was my best guess.
Crusader
After Crusaders went a-killin’ in the name of Jesus Christ, they established Crusader states, most notably the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Mamluk of Egypt
Wikipedia sez, “Over time, mamluks became a powerful military caste in various Muslim societies…In places such as Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty to the time of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, mamluks were considered to be “true lords”, with social status above freeborn Muslims.[7]” And apparently they controlled Palestine for a while.
Ottoman Turk
Did I mention this is a cartoon? Probably no one went to battle looking like this. But big turbans, rich clothing and jewelry seemed to be in vogue among Ottoman Turkish elites, according to paintings I found on the Internet.
Arab
A gross generalization of a generic 19-century “Arab”.
British
The British formed alliances with Arabs, then occupied Palestine. This cartoon is an oversimplification, and uses this British caricature as a stand-in for Europeans in general.
Palestinian
The British occupied this guy’s land, only to leave it to a vast influx of….
European Jew/Zionist
Desperate and traumatized survivors of European pogroms and death camps, Jewish Zionist settlers were ready to fight to the death for a place to call home, but…
PLO/Hamas/Hezbollah
….so were the people that lived there. Various militarized resistance movements arose in response to Israel: The Palestinian Liberation Organization, Hamas, and Hezbollah.
State of Israel
Backed by “the West,” especially the US, they got lots of weapons and the only sanctioned nukes in the region.
Guerrilla/Freedom Fighter/Terrorist
Sometimes people fight in military uniforms, sometimes they don’t. Creeping up alongside are illicit nukes possibly from Iran or elsewhere in the region. Who’s Next?
and finally…
The Angel of Death
The real hero of the Old Testament, and right now too.
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Really, Sarit ? You have said that “It’s the smallest piece of land, it’s half desert and it’s not as impressive to visit like most places are.” Israel is one of the most interesting place to visit. It’s a small country which includes deserts and green lands, plains and mountains, green, brown and yellow at the same spot around well known biblical and historical places. Its advantage of being small and thus can also the tourist sees most of the land in short time and with little money. Israelis are friendly and hospitable. I recommend visiting there at least for one week.
TO ABE BIRD AND OTHERS
WHEN ISRAEL CONQUERED PALISTINE, THEY STOLE AND ROBBED THE PALESTENIANS OF THEIR FARMS, HOMES, BUSINESSES AND BANK ACCOUNTS. ISRAEL CLAIMS THAT THEY TURNED PAL;ESTINE INTO A GREEN OASIS BUT PALESTINE WAS FULL OF CITRUS FARMS, BANANNA FARMS AND EXPORTED THEIR GROCERIES TO THE ENTIRE REGION AND EVEN TO AFRIKA AND EUROPE. ISRAEL IS SO GOOD IN FAULLS ADVERTISEMENTS BECAUSE THOSE WHO SUPPORT THIS APARTHEIT STATE ARE MISINFORMED AND ARE STILL IGNORANT ABOUT THE PALESTENEANS. ONE DAY THE WORLD WILL EXPOSE ALL THESE JEWISH LIES.
PALESTINE WAS CONQUERED BY THE CRUSSADORS, ROMANS, GREEKS, TURKS AND
THE BRITISH. ALL OF THEM VANISHED AND SO WILL ISRAEL SOON.
Yep! You got the history right on the nose. I guess the Persians Iranians are next again. I serve in Israel on the border with Lebanon an Syria “Oh what alot of fun that is”.
Why just grenades for the terrorists and not suicide bombers?
I like this a lot. However, you left out the Persians, who controlled Palestine between the Babylonians and Alexander’s Macedonian Greeks.
It’s not just Palestine–This is a beautifully presented concise history of patriarchy. How much longer are we going to get it go on?
Does the concept of Soul show up for ancient people? Or is it a Biblical trick?
fantastic work, nina!
sad to see some even can’t stop fighting here…
pointing with the finger on your neighbour seems far to easy,
looking in the mirror isn’t pleasing.
dudes, fellows, the only guy that will take profit of this is death.
all mankind have debts, if we would start to pay them back, no children will survive.
sometimes i feel like a 5000year old dragon, tired of fighting and arguing, slipped into my cave, nothing left but crying.
You should put it on kickstarter
Great work! I loved your Sita film as well. The whole Paley clan here in Los Angeles is wondering if we’re related. Did the Paley side of your family hail from the area near Bobroisk?
best to you
Aaron Paley, Los Angeles
If you’re related to Phil “Chakka” Paley, then sure. Phil and I decided we’re distant cousins, because that would be cool. My father’s ancestors are from Belarus, near Pinsk near Minsk.
You left us (Persians) during Hakhamenishan, Part, and sasanid empires it was part of iran, and some of bloodiest wars between Iran and rom was for control of this region. (constantly changed between romans and persians)
You should change the title to be NO Man’s Land!
This cartoon was really powerful. It brings home to me the thought that the only true peacemakers in the middle east will be those who are willing to give up this land as a sacred sacrifice to God and to the earth. The war over “this land is mine” will end when the claim of “mine” ends. Blessings and peace to all who are suffering over this poor, wretched land. God bless us ALL, every one!
Is there a way to get hold of the music (without the FX) ?
Zionism is like the “terrible two’s.” Me, my, mine. The video is relatively timely since Ariel Sharon told us “the dirty work of Zionism is not done.”
Genius!!!
Amazing!!!I give you P.H.D degree Excellent in history and sociology for that wowwwww grate thinking grate job
I hope the war mongers & terrorists get their lesson.
i really like it!!!!
The animation is a good artistic and documentary work but giving the same space to each “piece movement” in this game of war makes no justice to Histoy.
ISRAEL has been (actually is, don´t forget that) the BIG invader and destroyer of this land.
Palestina will win: evil and tricks always fail, it´s a question of time.
Give them back their land, you sick warlords, bankers and holohoaxers.
*Justice to History, (sorry, english is not my language)
Anyway simplification and equalization of the problem, being not morally 100% accurate, could be the only way to make some demented people understand that is not a great idea burning innocent people with phosphore, demolish their houses and stole their land, in a step by step calculated process.
Don´t forget we are trying to change the mind of experts in propaganda, masters of usure & cheat and weapon-fanatics. So maybe this artistic but simplificated cartoon is a good start.
Greetings to all Palestinians and the non-faszionists Israelites over there, from the other side of the great Mediterranean.
well, and a touch of humor, to change phases. got from some posts ago, this is a great archetip of the zionist ridicoulous and pompous tricker. she $ells himself -i am a puppet wonderland lawyer and a teacher of kosherstory channel and a bronze medal in lamentation wallmart” since the first phrase, he of course uses the demented ego-trip mantra “you hate us because we are more intelligent than you” and the “AN-THY-SE-MI-TE!!!” sticker, hypnotized talmudchildrin trick to any open eye who detects a trickin nose in the horizon.
Oh, and the “we have more % of noel prizes than you”. dear, nobody believes in guinnes or nobels no more, as nobody believes 4 arab paperplane pilots auto-demolished the WTC.
Not buyin, kosher lawyer
remember the song: too much trick will kill you
oh, the propaganda. was this —>
Rachel
October 8, 2012 at 4:19 am
@ Michael Pyshnov:
oh please relax will you?
i’m a russian jew, i live in Israel for 30 years, i’m a lawyer, a PHD of HISTORY from an IV league, and i know very well, better then you, what’s up. Russia never lacked anti semitism. my granfather fought for russia’s red army and in the WW2. stupid russian hillbilly Peasants never liked jews, cause they were allways smarter and wealthier.
you have a problem with accepting the truth, even when i Contradicted your claims with facts + there are sooo much archaeological and other evidence that prove jewish existance in Israel for thousends of years.
i wounder why you think that the jews are the criminals when just this morning, there were 40 ROCKETS firred from GAZA by Islamic terrorists on civilian cities in ISRAEL! no Distinction made.
when Israel fights back it does this against terrorists only, not against Civilians (unless they hide the terrorists in their homes).
GOLDA meir once said: we will have peace when the arabs will love their children more then the hate usâ€, but you see, the muslims cherish death, so it will never happen. how can you be so blind?!
i suggest that instead of bad-mouthing a democratic country, a western country, where women and gay’s have rights, you go to SYRIA, where you will see that in the past year and a helf, Asad had slaughtered, with the supporte of your der RUSSIA and Putin, over 30’000 people of his own!
your comments derive either from ill-information, anti-semitism, or plain stupidity (or all of the above).
I think that Ты антиÑемитÑкие дебил.
and finally, if you hate Israel and the Jews so much, oppose their right of self defense, and want to support muslim terrorisem (the religion of peace, yeah right!) you should really stop using computers, facebook, medicine, google, and everything described in this following link below:
http://www.moreintelligentfraudiankoshertrickerthanyou.shalomomom
well, this is my last post, seriously:
“and finally, if you hate Israel and the Jews so much, oppose their right of self defense, and want to support muslim terrorisem (the religion of peace, yeah right!) you should really stop using computers, facebook, medicine, google, and everything described in this following link below:”
So poorjews invented computers and medicine!!!!
GREAT JOKE EVER, LAWYERKOSHER WOMAN!!!
so smart and ellected and prosecuted and fraudian and einsteintrick and ego trip and hollohoax stupidity it made all my familly laugh for 5 minutes of non stop dumb and innocent and easy to manipullate by false-graduated-prizelawyers goyimness.
Well if people realise that Torah, Bible and Koran are just the continuity of Roman and Greek Mythology, then they will stop killing each other for the fake myth.
Savanna: here is one simple solution: sharing.
A very moving piece of art, “oh the humanity” newman, thank you.
As a grade school history and religion teacher (15yr olds) I found this video invaluable as an exercise in religous/historical/political perspectives. I thonk very much for this free yet quality material
Darren Maharaj
I mean I thank you for this free high quality material
Why is your mentioning is so hard on israelis/jews but so forgiving for the rest?
Where is the earlier mentioning of Palestinian in your animated timeline?
you mention – arab – british soldier – palestinian. if the arab was palestinian beforehand why don’t you say so? and if he didn’t how the british conquered the palestinian’s land while it was arab/ottoman land?
You get the most recent part of the history of the land completely wrong.
The land in question was part of the Ottoman Empire and was lost in WW I.
The Allied Powers at the San Remo conference in 1922 returned the land to the Jewish People. This was voted on at the conference, at the Anglo-American Convention (1924) and at the League of Nations. The United Nations accepted this in full when they opened their door and replaced the League of Nations.
The Legal Title to Palestine was therefore transferred peacefully from the Allied Powers … to the Jewish people.
Britain was given a mandate to help with that transfer. Just like France was mandated to transfer the land we now call Lebanon to the people who reside there.
This land was not conquered through bloodshed by the Jews, it was defended with blood. This isn’t about God, or the bible. This is about international law and very recent history.
Arabs received land at the same time. They actually received the lions share of the land. And later a large portion of the British Mandate was given away to even more Arabs, Trans Jordan. The Jews kept only a small piece.
Most interesting. Now that brains are more valuable and useful than land, perhaps we should use our brains and stop fighting over land. That way we avoid both losing our lives (use of our brains) and our land. In kindergarten I learned to share. It was difficult, but once I learned it, I never forgot. Let’s share
When we love, we share everything.
Brilliant, beautiful, powerful. Kudos Nina!!!!!
Amazing work. The power of humor.
Dearest Nina,
You have done more for the world peace than any politician who I know!
Love!
szabi
Add to the European Jew/Zionist hundreds of thousands of traumatized Middle-Eastern Jews fleeing or being driven out by Arab states and nationalism. Great cartoon!