''The Gatekeepers'' (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: שומרי הסף "Shomrei HaSaf") is a 2012 internationally co-produced documentary film by director

Dror Moreh Dror Moreh ( he, דרור מורה; born 4 November 1961) is an Israeli cinematographer and director. Film career Moreh's first film as director was ''Sharon,'' an investigation into the appeal of Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon. His film, ...

that tells the story of the

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i internal security service,

Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...

(known in Hebrew as 'Shabak'), from the perspective of six of its former heads. The film combines in-depth interviews, archival footage, and

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

to recount the role that the group played in Israel's security from the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

to the present. The film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2012 in film, films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...

Background

Moreh has explained in interviews that he was inspired to make the film after watching

Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris (born February 5, 1948) is an American film director known for documentaries that interrogate the epistemology of its subjects. In 2003, his documentary film '' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamar ...

’s

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

-winning documentary ''

The Fog of War ''The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara'' is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfa ...

''. Having just completed a film about former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Ariel Sharon Ariel Sharon (; ; ; also known by his diminutive Arik, , born Ariel Scheinermann, ; 26 February 1928 – 11 January 2014) was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel from March 2001 until April 2006. S ...

, he came to realize the decisive role that the Shin Bet had played behind the scenes for the past forty years. "The idea to do this movie came to me while I was working on my previous film, Sharon. From my discussions with the prime minister’s innermost circle of advisors, I learned how the critique of some of these Gatekeepers influenced Sharon’s decision to disengage from Gaza." The problem, according to Moreh, was getting the "Gatekeepers", or former heads of the Shin Bet, to agree to appear on camera and discuss their work and opinions. Given the secretive nature of the organization, none of them had ever done this before, and many of the topics he hoped to discuss with them were either classified or highly sensitive. Despite this initial difficulty, Moreh contacted one of the "Gatekeepers",

Ami Ayalon Ami Ayalon ( he, עמיחי "עמי" איילון, born 27 June 1945) is an Israeli politician and a former member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. He was previously head of the Shin Bet, Israel's secret service, and commander-in-chief of the ...

, who had since been elected to the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

for the Labor Party and was serving as a Minister without Portfolio in the Security Cabinet. Much to his surprise, Ayalon not only agreed to participate, he also helped Moreh contact the other surviving former heads of the Shin Bet:

Avraham Shalom Avraham Shalom Bendor ( he, אַבְרָהָם שָׁלוֹם בֵּנְדּוֹר; 7 July 1928 – 19 June 2014) was head of Shin Bet from 1981 to 1986.Yaakov Peri,

Carmi Gillon Carmi Gillon (born January 1950) ( he, כרמי גילון) is an Israeli politician and a former Israeli ambassador to Denmark and head of Shin Bet, Shabak, the internal General Security Service (GSS; Israeli Security Agency, ISA) of Israel. Aft ...

, and

Avi Dichter Avi Dichter ( he, אָבִי דִּיכְטֶר, ; born 14 December 1952) is an Israeli politician. A former Minister of Internal Security and Shin Bet director, he resigned from the Knesset and left Kadima in August 2012 in order to become Mi ...

. The sixth participant in the film,

Yuval Diskin Yuval Diskin ( he, יובל דיסקין; born June 11, 1956) was the 12th Director of the Israeli Internal Security Service Shabak (frequently referred to in English as the "Shin Bet") from 2005 to 2011. He was appointed by Prime Minister Ariel ...

, was still serving as head of the Shin Bet at the time. Though all the men agreed to participate, some were reluctant initially to discuss various incidents associated with their careers. Shalom, for instance, did not want to discuss his role in the hijacking of the 300 bus and summary execution of two of the terrorists, though the ensuing scandal ultimately led to his resignation. Over time, however, and with careful prodding, he agreed to discuss even that, and it now features as one of the film's seven segments. The Gatekeepers "gave me an unprecedented, intimate opportunity to enter the inner sanctum of the people who have steered Israel’s decision-making process for almost half a century," Moreh has said. Moreh told ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Econo ...

'' that after interviewing the Shin Bet heads, he decided that Netanyahu "poses a great threat to the existence of the state of Israel." He said that he seeks "to change the point of view of young Israelis. To tell them a story of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that has not been told before." He told ''

The Times of Israel ''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.

'' that making the film "changed me a lot .. It made me more desperate, more bleak. I saw from their eyes how our leaders really don’t want to solve this problem. They do not have the audacity, the temerity, the will, the courage that we need from a leader." He added, "I am not putting the blame only on the Israeli leaders. I think the Palestinian leaders suffer from the same horrible disease. I think that what ormer Israeli foreign minister

Abba Eban Abba Solomon Meir Eban (; he, אבא אבן ; born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; 2 February 1915 – 17 November 2002) was an Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. During his career, he served as Fo ...

said about how the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity applies to both sides."

Structure

The film consists of seven segments: * No Strategy, Just Tactics – covering the emerging role of the Shin Bet from the Six-Day War and the occupation of the

Palestinian territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The I ...

* Forget About Morality – about the

Bus 300 affair The Bus 300 affair (), also known as Kav 300 affair, was a 1984 incident in which Shin Bet members executed two Palestinian bus hijackers, immediately after the hostage crisis incident ended and they had been captured. After the incident, the Sh ...

* One Man's Terrorist Is Another Man's Freedom Fighter – about the peace process following the

Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords are a pair of agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO): the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993;

* Our Own Flesh and Blood – about Jewish terrorism, including the

Jewish Underground The Jewish Underground ( he, המחתרת היהודית ''HaMakhteret HaYehudit''), or in abbreviated form, simply ''makhteret'',David S. New''Holy War: The Rise of Militant Christian, Jewish and Islamic Fundamentalism,''McFarland, 2001, p. 143. w ...

and the

assassination of Yitzhak Rabin The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the fifth prime minister of Israel, took place on 4 November 1995 (12 Marcheshvan 5756 on the Hebrew calendar) at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in ...

* Victory Is to See You Suffer – about negotiations with the

Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

during the

Second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...

* Collateral Damage – about the assassination of

Yahya Ayyash Yahya Abd-al-Latif Ayyash ( ar, يحيى عياش) (6 March 1966 – 5 January 1996) was the chief bombmaker of Hamas and the leader of the West Bank battalion of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. In that capacity, he earned the nickname ''the E ...

and other prominent

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

militants * The Old Man at the End of the Corridor – consisting of reflections on the activities of the Shin Bet and their ethical and strategic impact on the State of Israel Though the film follows a loose chronological order, each of these segments also delves into topics such as the controversy surrounding

collateral damage Collateral damage is any death, injury, or other damage inflicted that is an incidental result of an activity. Originally coined by military operations, it is now also used in non-military contexts. Since the development of precision guided ...

, the efficacy of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

, and the morality of targeted assassination. The events described in the film are illustrated with archival footage and

computer-generated imagery Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the use of computer graphics to create or contribute to images in art, printed media, video games, simulators, and visual effects in films, television programs, shorts, commercials, and videos. The images may ...

that brings historic photographs to life. An example of this is the computer-generated reenactment of the Bus 300 incident, based on photographs and eyewitness accounts. The film's

s were created by the French company

Mac Guff Mac Guff (also known as Mac Guff Ligne) is a French visual effects company based in both Los Angeles, United States and Paris, France, where it is headquartered. Mac Guff specializes in the creation of computer graphics for commercials, music vid ...

The filmmakers

The director of ''The Gatekeepers'', Dror Moreh, is an experienced cinematographer who served as director of photography on several feature films, including ''Urban Feel'' and ''Desperado Square'', and on a number of documentaries, among them ''One Shot'', ''Asesino'', and ''Underdog: A War Movie''. His credits as a director include ''The Rose'' (a 6-part documentary series), ''To Be Mayumana'' (a documentary about an Israeli dance group), ''Under Cover'' (a 4-part docudrama about undercover police officers), ''Sharon'' (a documentary about Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's implementation of the Gaza Disengagement Plan), ''Occupational Hazard'' (a documentary about an Israeli journalist in Iraq), and ''Caesarea'' (an animated short about the history of Caesarea). The producer, , is the founder of Cinephil, a film sales, co-productions, and distribution company, and has taught Media at Israel's Open University and at the Management College in Tel Aviv.

The interviewees

The film consists of interviews with six former Shin Bet leaders. Avraham Shalom, who ran Shin Bet from 1980 to 1986, served on the team that brought

Adolf Eichmann Otto Adolf Eichmann ( ,"Eichmann"
''

He was succeeded by Yaakov Peri, who was in charge of Shin Bet at the time of the Intifada. Carmi Gillon, head of Shin Bet from 1994 to 1996, warned that extremists would try to kill Prime Minister Rabin; the assassination of Rabin in 1995 shook the agency's reputation and led to Gillon's resignation. Ami Ayalon, his successor, sought to increase security around Israel's leaders. Avi Dichter, Shin Bet head from 2000 to 2005, was confronted with the Second Intifada. He was succeeded by Yuval Diskin, who served until 2011.

Release

Three years in production, the film was first released at the

Jerusalem Film Festival The Jerusalem Film Festival ( he, פסטיבל הקולנוע ירושלים, ar, مهرجان القدس السينمائي) is an international film festival held annually in Jerusalem, It was established in 1984 by the Director of the Jerusal ...

in the presence of the Gatekeepers themselves. In

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, it was released on 31 August 2012 by

Sony Picture Classics Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produce ...

at the

Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado during Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 49th edition took place on September 2 -6, 2022. History First held on 30 August 1974, th ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

in the presence of Errol Morris, and a week later (6 September 2012) at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

. It was also screened at the

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, it is ...

. Its first screening in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

took place at the International Documentary Film Festival in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. After a one-week release in December 2012 to make it eligible for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

, a wider theatrical release in North America began on 1 February 2013. When the film was released, CNN reported that the former Shin Bet heads had made "stunning revelations" and that "all six argue – to varying degrees – that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is bad for the state of Israel." CNN noted that Avraham Shalom "says Israel lost touch with how to coexist with the Palestinians as far back as the aftermath of the Six Day War of 1967" and that a "central theme of the documentary is the idea that Israel has incredible tactics, but lacks long-term strategy." Moreh is turning "The Gatekeepers" into a five-part series for Israeli television and a book.

Official Israeli response

Barak Ravid wrote in ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

'' in March 2013 that there had been much "internal debate between Israeli diplomats" over "the question of whether the film reinforces the anti-Israeli narrative in the West, or alternatively paints a more complex and positive picture of Israeli society and the internal arguments that take place within it."

Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (born 28 March 1936), more commonly known as Mario Vargas Llosa (, ), is a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and former politician, who also holds Spanish citizenship. Vargas Ll ...

praised the film as "evidence of the level-headedness and clarity of some elements in Israeli society." Rafi Gamzu of Israel's Foreign Ministry called the film "proof of the highest order of Israeli democracy." Israel's deputy consul general in Toronto, Hadas Wittenberg Silberstein, described it as "a powerful film that brings viewers into confrontation with the political-security dilemmas Israel faces" and that, while "not completely unequivocal", is "tendentious in its portrayal of Palestinian suffering."

Yigal Palmor Yigal Palmor is the Head of the International Relations Unit and Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chairman at the Jewish Agency for Israel, where he had previously served for four years as Director of Public Affairs and Communications. He was the longe ...

, spokesman of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, complained "that the justification for the Shin Bet’s activity in the territories does not appear in the film." While this is justifiable in a film addressed to Israeli audiences, who do not have to have the situation explained to them, international audiences "need more explanation of the background to understand how the three Shin Bet heads who appear in the film went into politics and how they are an inseparable part of a whole policy, some of which they criticize from within while agreeing completely with other aspects of it. None of them is a rebel who broke the rules and quit, or a subversive who tried to carry out a revolution. They see themselves as part of the establishment and as they see it, the purpose of their criticism is to improve it, not to smash it." Yaakov Hadas-Handelsman, Israel's ambassador to Germany, has said that he "used the screening of the film here as an opportunity to emphasize the strength of Israeli democracy ... and the doubts that policymakers in Israel must face before they order the killing of terrorists ... There are not many democracies where one can view such a discussion at all, particularly considering Israel’s security situation."

Michael Oren Michael Bornstein Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein; May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), former member of the Knesset fo ...

, Israel's ambassador in Washington, D.C., came out strongly against the film, deploring the way in which Avraham Shalom "kind of" likens "Israel to Nazi Germany." Oren said he had "been hearing about Jews leaving the screening asking why we should keep supporting Israel." CNN reported in January 2013 that Israeli Prime Minister

Benjamin Netanyahu Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu (; ; born 21 October 1949) is an Israeli politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is currently serving as Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of ...

had "no plans" to see the film.

Reception

On the aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, the film holds a 94% positive ratings from 111 critics, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The site's consensus reads: "Strikingly stark, brutally honest, and rivetingly assembled, ''The Gatekeepers'' offers essential perspective on a seemingly intractable war from some of the men who fought it." The film holds a 91/100 on

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

based on 27 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' critic A. O. Scott called the film the best documentary of 2012, deeming it "essential, eye-opening viewing if you think you understand the Middle East," while ''Times'' critic

Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', ...

named it one of the top ten movies of the year.

Joe Morgenstern Joe Morgenstern (born October 3, 1932) is an American writer and retired film critic. He wrote for ''Newsweek'' from 1965 to 1983, and then for ''The Wall Street Journal'' from 1995 to 2022. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 2005. Morgen ...

, film critic for the ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', also called ''The Gatekeepers'' one of the year's 10 best films. The film, noted Morgenstern, "brings together all the surviving directors of Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency. What these tough and tough-minded men have to say about Israeli politicians, and the nation's current stance vis à vis its enemies, is stunning and edifying in equal measure." ''The Gatekeepers'' was also named one of the year's best films by

David Edelstein David Edelstein (born 1959) is a freelance American film critic who has been the principal film critic for ''Slate'' and ''New York'' magazine, among others, and has appeared regularly on NPR's ''Fresh Air'' and ''CBS Sunday Morning'' programs. O ...

of ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker'', ...

'',

Bob Mondello Bob Mondello (born 1949) is an American film critic. Annually, Mondello sees over 300 films, commenting on them on radio, in print, and in speaking engagements at film clubs and public radio presentations. Career Mondello spent more than a decade ...

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

David Denby David Denby (born 1943) is an American journalist. He served as film critic for ''The New Yorker'' until December 2014. Early life and education Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B. A. from Columbia University in 1965, and a master' ...

of the ''New Yorker'',

Kenneth Turan Kenneth Turan (; born October 27, 1946) is an American retired film critic, author, and lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California. He was a film critic for the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1991 ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'',

Lisa Schwarzbaum Lisa Schwarzbaum (born July 5, 1952) is an American film critic. She joined ''Entertainment Weekly'' as a film critic in the 1990s and remained there until February 2013. Career She has been featured on CNN, co-hosted '' Siskel & Ebert at the Mov ...

of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'',

of the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'',

Peter Rainer Peter Rainer is a German violinist, known by his activity as a concert master and performance of chamber music. He has been performing at famous music halls such as Berliner Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York City, and Walt Disney Concert ...

of ''

Christian Science Monitor Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

'', and

Todd McCarthy Todd McCarthy (born February 16, 1950) is an American film critic and author. He wrote for ''Variety'' for 31 years as its chief film critic until 2010. In October of that year, he joined ''The Hollywood Reporter'', where he subsequently served ...

of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''.

''The New York Times''

Jodi Rudoren of the ''New York Times'' described the film as offering "a disturbing narrative" whose message is that "The occupation is immoral and, perhaps more important, ineffective. Israel should withdraw from the West Bank as it did from the Gaza Strip in 2005. And the prospect of a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict diminishes daily, threatening the future of Israel as a Jewish democracy."

''Haaretz''

Uri Klein, film critic of ''Haaretz'', called ''The Gatekeepers'' "one of the most intelligent, mature and self-disciplined documentaries that have been made here recently." But

Aluf Benn Aluf Benn ( he, אלוף בן, born 1965) is an Israeli journalist, author and editor-in-chiefAlu ...

, the editor of ''Haaretz'', wrote in a column that the film is "convenient for the Shin Bet," painting its chiefs as victims of the political leadership and going light on their own bending of the law."

''The Jerusalem Post''

In an op-ed for ''

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...

'', Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid of the advocacy group StandWithUs accused the film's director of "intellectual dishonesty" and of ignoring "history and context," saying that while "the film tries to portray Israel’s antiterrorism policies as counterproductive and cruel, the interviews inadvertently tell a different story." They wrote that the film fails to acknowledge that Israel "instituted Palestinian municipal self-government and administration, introduced freedom of speech and association, and vastly modernized the Palestinian economy as well as Palestinian health, welfare and education, turning the West Bank and Gaza into the world’s fourth fastest growing economy in the 1970s and 1980s." In addition, charged Rothstein and Seid, the viewer of ''The Gatekeeper'' "never learns that Israel has repeatedly tried to do precisely what Moreh advocates" only to have its offers of land for peace rejected repeatedly. While Moreh wishes audiences to believe that Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank would bring peace, Israel's 2000 pullout from its Lebanese security zone and its 2005 removal of Gaza settlements led to increased "threats and terrorism from Iranian proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon and from Iranian client Hamas in Gaza." Moreh ignored the "hard realities" that "make the Shin Bet’s work so crucial and so heroic." Troy criticized the Shin Bet heads, for "parlay ngtheir perspective as intelligence heads into preaching and politics," and characterized Moreh's placement of Ayalon at the end of the movie as "film-making sleight-of-hand that makes his leftist views appear to be the sextet’s consensus position." Troy also noted what he called the "outrage gap": while a Jerusalem audience had "reacted viscerally to descriptions of the beating deaths of two Palestinian terrorists," it "seemed blasé about photos of suicide-bombing carnage." Troy argues, "Rabin’s assassin did not 'murder hope' – Hamas and Islamic Jihad did." Troy expressed pride that "these thoughtful, tough but human and sensitive heroes helped Israel navigate the agonizing questions the country faces in defending itself from toxic terrorists," but added that "I know of no Palestinian movies agonizing about similar dilemmas." Similarly, in an op-ed for ''The Jerusalem Post'', history professor and Zionist activist

Gil Troy Gil Troy (born 1961) is an American presidential historian and a popular commentator on politics and other issues. He is a professor of history at McGill University. Troy is the author of nine books, and the editor of two. He writes a column for '' ...

wrote that "the film showcases Israel’s democratic vitality while seeking to undermine it." Characterizing the interviewees as "blaming Israel and robbing Palestinians of their responsibility, culpability and dignity," Troy viewed their outspokenness as a product of a "voyeuristic Facebook culture." Troy argued that "spooks should not speak," expressing doubt that "the past six CIA directors would dare so abuse their positions – and the American public’s trust."

Honors and awards

''The Gatekeepers'' was nominated for an

for Best Feature Documentary in 2013 and for the Israeli Film Academy Award for Best Documentary. It won the

Golden Trailer Award The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that ...

for Best Foreign Documentary Trailer, won Special Mention at the Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming in 2013, won the

Los Angeles Film Critics Association The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles-based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organiza ...

award for Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film. It shared the Cinema for Peace Award for Most Valuable Documentary of the Year in 2013 with Searching for Sugar Man. It was named one of the year's top five documentaries by the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

, and won the award for Best Non-Fiction Film from the

National Society of Film Critics Awards The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...

. It won second place in the Best Non-Fiction Film category at the

New York Film Critics Circle Awards The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazi ...

. It was nominated for the

PGA Award The Producers Guild of America (PGA) is a 501(c)(6) trade association representing television producers, film producers and New Media producers in the United States. The PGA's membership includes over 8,000 members of the producing establishment w ...

for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures and for Best Documentary at the Satellite Awards. It was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 7th

Asia Pacific Screen Awards The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia. In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting and preserving the different cultures th ...

References

External links

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Interview with Dror Moreh at the New York Film Festival

''The Gatekeepers''
streaming via SBS On Demand (Australia) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gatekeepers (documentary film), The 2010s Hebrew-language films Israeli documentary films Documentary films about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 2012 documentary films 2012 films Documentary films about terrorism Israeli independent films Sony Pictures Classics films Shin Bet Films about intelligence agencies

Background

Structure

The filmmakers

The interviewees

Release

Official Israeli response

Reception

''The New York Times''

''Haaretz''

''The Jerusalem Post''

Honors and awards

See also

References

External links