‘Storm of Emotions: Brothers In Heart’, filmed by Yael Klopmann-Rabinovitz, captures the highly emotional and monumental task faced by Israeli Defence Force soldiers in evicting their fellow Jewish settlers to advance the peace process with Palestine, widely known as the “disengagement plan”.

Jews originally chose the land as a settlement in 1982 after a peace deal between Israel and Egypt. However, a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the Government and enacted in August, 2005, ordered the removal of all permanent Israeli presence in the Gaza Strip and from four settlements in the northern West Bank.

At the beginning of the movie, you get the feeling that the likelihood of violence and atrocities will come at any minute but they ultimately do not.

I’ll admit I like films with a bit of action and horror. So if you are looking for such scenes, this is not the film. What surprised me most was the organised, non-violent way in which the Israeli authorities behaved. Despite being cursed and called things such as “Nazis”, and traitors, I’d say they showed tremendous restraint. I’d always held the belief that life in Israel was always a state of chaos, bloodshed and civil war. If I learned anything, it is the antithesis.

Too many times in the media we are subliminally inundated with the notion that the State of Israel is this unrelenting big bully. That image was certainly not portrayed.

Personally speaking, the film was an eyesore because all of the dialogue was in Hebrew with English subtitles.

Perhaps it would have been better if it were shown with English-speaking voice-overs. To be fair, I think the heart of the film really comes to light when you see the raw emotion over the political controversy, which saw Jews being propelled into buses and removed from their homes by their countrymen and women. Pain and feelings of betrayal — all seen through the lens of the camera — portrays a sad day in Israel’s history.

The documentary mostly focuses on the roles of a Police Chief Inspector named Asaf Walfich and Major General Uri Bar-Lev — who face a colossal challenge of their loyalty to the state vs. the people. Unsurprisingly, religion seemed to dominate all those involved in the mission with Rabbis saying prayer and reading Jewish bibles while being carried away by soldiers and police.

Overall the picture lacked any serious artistic viewpoint, other than humanising the harsh reality of a religious war — the long history of the Arabs vs. the Jews.

In closing: Politics mixed with religion is a deadly combination for those who choose to live in that part of the world. I must respect the feelings of providence on both religious sides.

Surely, the question one must ask is: at what costs are you willing to serve your country and do something which is your foremost duty, despite feeling strongly that what you are doing is reprehensible?