New Delhi, 29 November: Israel’s Ambassador to India Naor Gilon and Council General Kobbi Shoshani have reprimanded the filmmaker Nadav Lapid for commenting on the popular file ‘Kashmir Files’ and expressed strong objection to his statement. The ambassador has taken to Twitter and apologised for the filmmaker’s remarks.
Naor Gilon wrote an open letter to Nadav Lapid, suggesting that he was “free to use the liberty to sound your criticism of what you dislike in Israel but no need to reflect your frustration on other countries”. Gilon asserted that Lapid does not have enough factual basis to make such comparisons same as Gilon himself.
On the last day of the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) held in Goa on Monday, jury head Nadav Lapid’s remarks created an unpleasent controversy regarding the film ‘The Kashmir Files’. Lapid had called the film a “propaganda” and “vulgar”, as the issue was debated on social media across the country.
Gilon said that Nadav should be ashamed as in Indian culture the guests are treated as gods and Lapid has “abused in the worst way the Indian invitation to chair the panel of judges” at the Film festival, “as well as the trust, respect and warm hospitality they have bestowed on you”.
Gilon called out the filmmaker’s move of making a “statement” an action of cosequence, saying that the filmmaker will “go back to Israel thinking that you are bold and ?made a statement?. We, the representatives of Israel, would stay here”.
Mentioning the anger that the Israel authorities have faced ever since the comment, the ambassador said, “You should see our DM boxes following your ?bravery? and what implications it may have on the team under my responsibility. The friendship between the people and the states of India and Israel is very strong and will survive the damage you have inflicted.”
The ambassador said that he felt ashamed and thus, wanted to apologise to the host India for the “bad manner in which we repaid them for their generosity and friendship”.
Israel’s Council General Kobbi Shoshani has also fumed over the remarks of IFFI’s jury head. Describing the jury head’s statement as wrong, saying that when he saw the film, tears rolled down from his eyes. He said that the film was not easy to watch, he said that he was a Jews who has suffered from terrible things and thought that the courtesy of understanding must be extended to the suffering of others.
