The Israeli government has begun promoting an online documentary titled NAZA: The Real Story, which mirrors the stylistic elements of a critically acclaimed film of the same name directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. The original NAZA documentary, produced by the Guardian, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival earlier this month, where it received the longest ovation in the festival’s history and won the special jury prize. The film examines systems used by the Israeli military during operations in Gaza based on interviews with military insiders.
The competing online film was produced by Israeli attorney and army reservist Ariel Averbuch and candidate Roi Danino from the Israel First party. The website hosting the counter-documentary was registered on 16 September, days after NAZA’s Venice debut. Initially, the website falsely presented itself as a promotional page for Abraham and Szor’s film, even listing them as directors before being corrected. The counter-documentary claims Israel maintains the world’s most moral military force.
The website claims the short film has been viewed more than 42 million times, though technical analysis suggests this figure may have been artificially inflated through automated requests rather than actual viewership. The official YouTube page shows approximately 30,000 views. When questioned about the viewcount discrepancy, Averbuch stated he was unaware of its source and directed inquiries to his technical team.
The Israeli government stated it was awarding the filmmakers a certificate of appreciation for their contributions to public diplomacy. Meanwhile, the original NAZA documentary has faced significant backlash from Israeli officials and activists. The government has announced plans to strip Abraham and Szor of their citizenship, describing their work as treasonous. The film will be released free on the Guardian’s website later this year and is scheduled for screenings in more than 50 countries. Averbuch’s previous work includes founding an organization focused on what it describes as advocacy warfare, including the distribution of criticism scripts targeting earlier films by Abraham and Szor.
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