Is World War Z 'pro-Israel'?

Jun 25

Web Only

Is World War Z 'pro-Israel'?

Blockbuster's plot raises accusations of propaganda.

Photo of the West Bank village of Hizme, just over the 'separation barrier,' or wall, with the Israeli town of Pizgat Zeev, in East Jerusalem. (EPA/Jim Hollander)

The recently released zombie apocalypse film World War Z has received widespread attention — much of it in the form of 140-character reviews on Twitter.

In the movie, an Israeli intelligence officer explains that his country built a barrier to keep zombies out. Many online drew parallels between the fictitious barrier and the separation wall that Israel built in the West Bank, which was declared illegal by the International Court of Justice.

View the story "Is World War Z 'pro-Israel'?" on StorifyIs World War Z 'pro-Israel'?Blockbuster's plot raises accusations of propaganda.Storified by The Stream· Tue, Jun 25 2013 13:56:31Rania Khalek tweets: "In World War Z, Israel's apartheid wall apparently helps keep out a massive horde of zombies."In World War Z, Israel's apartheid wall apparently helps keep out a massive horde of zombies…not cool http://pic.twitter.com/taulJNp1bKRania KhalekSome criticised what they saw as the movie's attempt to justify current Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories:It went from being an action film into Zionism pornography an hour into the film. The film even justifies the Apartheid Wall and the institution of checkpoints which treat people like cattle as saving the world from zombies!angryarab.blogspot.aeAlso #arabs trying to fight the #israeli occupation of #Palestine is not the same as a zombie attack #WorldWarZ. #Israel your wall is not okSoz سوزيتWorld War Z made a scary enough face, but no wall Israel built ever made the world a better place.Jacob HoggardNot only critics but also supporters of Israel saw the movie as supportive of the country:'World War Z' is the most pro-Israel movie ever made. Or at the very least the most pro-Israel zombie movie ever made.Jeffrey Goldberg@JeffreyGoldberg With Israel's highly lauded defense reputation, the wall breach surprised me.Danny ClaytonHowever, Guardian's Spencer Ackerman wasn't so sure:@JeffreyGoldberg So conflicted! You could also read it as an *indictment* of Israeli security policy. But THAT can still be pro-Israel!Spencer AckermanOther critics poked fun at Israel's embrace of the Palestinian population in the movie:Forget the zombies, the most unrealistic thing about World War Z was when Israel was inviting in displaced PalestiniansAvinash TharoorWorld War Z: The dead reanimating I can believe, but Israel inviting back displaced Palestinians first thing? THAT'S unbelievableWilliam Budington@JudgeDan48 responded by emphasising the 'fiction' part of the movie.it's hilarious when people say that World War Z is fake bc of how Israel is portrayed, and not bc of, you know, zombies.Judge DanWhat do you think? Does World War Z send a pro-Israel message? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.