Hello, Goodbye, Peace

The Gatekeepers

*** out of ****

Directed by: Dror Moreh

Running time: 101 minutes

The Gatekeepers is a documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that is simultaneously a miraculous record of Middle East turmoil and something of a missed opportunity.

The subjects the title alludes to are six former heads of Shin Bet, Israel’s counterterrorism agency. Since the Six Day War in 1967, Shin Bet has been at the forefront of intelligence operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

However, while it is astounding that filmmaker Dror Moreh managed to land interviews with six secretive men who have been decisive in protecting Israel, it is disheartening that they have little to say about the growing hostility between both sides. It is an astounding look at history, but a haphazard analysis of modern terrorism.

As the titular ‘gatekeepers’ to help ensure a tense region remains peaceful, they are also scrutinized as men of questionable morality. However, as Avraham Shalom, often criticized for ordering the murder of two terrorists that hijacked a bus on the way to Tel Aviv back in the 1980s, explains, “With terrorism, there are no morals.”

The central dilemma these men often faced was whether or not to commit acts of terror. Israelis encounter a double-edged sword when faced against terrorists liberated to destroy their foundation. If they bomb the terrorists, the Israelis will likely face repercussions and an increase of violence toward their own side. If they do not bomb, they may suffer the consequences if the people who remain alive commit further attacks. It is hard to envy these men for fighting through the fog of a shrouded grey zone of morality.

The six men are also responsible for ensuring Palestinians can maintain their essential rights. However, when there are constant suicide bombings and assassinations, the heads note how often they forget about the refugees who may eventually become collateral damage. “It’s easier to be on the secure side,” one of the figureheads admits.

Although all of the subjects are Israeli, they are not all in favour of the direction of their state’s government policies. Some speak of the fractured relationship they shared with Israel’s government leaders in the wake of the Oslo Accords, which attempted to resolve the conflict by creating Palestinian self-government and the Israeli army’s withdrawal from Palestinian territory.

Grief also sets in amongst many of these former leaders when they are unable to prevent suicide bombings. Although Shin Bet rounds up thousands of suspected terrorists or links to those who threaten Israel’s security, hallways full of intelligence can go work so far when ordinary citizens can wreak havoc with spontaneous protests and violence.

The Gatekeepers is a gripping, albeit grim, examination of the political atmosphere in the Middle East. The film becomes most enlightening when the six men, almost all of whom are white-haired and dressed in blue (the two colours of Israel’s flag) break their forceful demeanor and present their humanism.

Some of them admit shame at how they have “become cruel,” explaining that Shin Bet strived to be a representative of the people, but instead came to replicate a brutal occupying force. Others have bleak prospects at when (and if) a peace process will occur, explaining that there is no good faith and a lot of bad extremism on either side.

Those with a sketchy, limited knowledge of the schism between Israelis and Palestinians will likely learn a great deal from The Gatekeepers. The film works more as a conclusion of what has come before, though, than a hypothesis about where the two sides must go from here. Although, considering how polarizing the schism between Israelis and Palestinians is, perhaps a clear, balanced and nuanced understanding of where both sides stand is victory enough.