PM unaware of decision to boycott Israeli film festival in France over ‘Foxtrot’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, says he was unaware of the decision by the Israeli embassy in France to boycott the opening ceremony of an Israeli Film Festival in the country over the screening of the controversial “Foxtrot.”

The prime minister tells reporters he will look more into the issue now that he is aware of it, but he “always backs up [Culture Minister Miri Regev].”

Netanyahu has long faced criticism for holding both portfolios, as his detractors argue he is unable to perform the functions required of the two positions simultaneously.

Regev pressured the Foreign Ministry to withdraw its support for the March festival altogether over the film. This led many on social media to quip about the irony of Israel boycotting its own event, especially in light of the government’s staunch opposition to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel.

“Foxtrot” centers on parents’ grief for their fallen son, and includes a scene in which IDF soldiers cover up the murder of four Arab youths. Regev, who has admitted to never having seen the film, has repeatedly lambasted the film, saying it “shows Israeli army soldiers in a deceptive manner as murderers and harms the good name of the Israel Defense Forces.”

The production won the Ophir, Israel’s top film prize. It was also among the movies submitted for the best foreign-language Oscar, but failed to make the final five nominee list.

— Judah Ari Gross