Israeli Diplomats slam Filmmaker over criticism of ‘The Kashmir Files’

Israel’s ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, on Tuesday publically denounced filmmaker Nadav Lapid, who on Monday regarded the film ‘The Kashmir Files’ as “propaganda” and “vulgar” while at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

गोवा में अंतरराष्ट्रीय फ़िल्म महोत्सव में विवाद। जूरी के प्रमुख ने मंच से कश्मीर फ़ाइल्स फ़िल्म की आलोचना की pic.twitter.com/k3JDqImNPS

— Narendra nath mishra (@iamnarendranath) November 28, 2022

Taking to Twitter to post an ‘open letter’ in a series of tweets, Gilon stated, “An open letter to #NadavLapid following his criticism of #KashmirFiles. It’s not in Hebrew because I wanted our Indian brothers and sisters to be able to understand. It is also relatively long so I’ll give you the bottom line first. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED.”

An open letter to #NadavLapid following his criticism of #KashmirFiles. It’s not in Hebrew because I wanted our Indian brothers and sisters to be able to understand. It is also relatively long so I’ll give you the bottom line first. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED. Here’s why: pic.twitter.com/8YpSQGMXIR

— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) November 29, 2022

“In Indian culture they say that a guest is like God. You have abused in the worst way the Indian invitation to chair the panel of judges at @IFFIGoa as well as the trust, respect and warm hospitality they have bestowed on you,” added the Israeli diplomat.

2. Our Indian friends brought @lioraz and @issacharoff from @FaudaOfficial in order to celebrate the love in #India towards #Fauda and #Israel. I suspect that this is maybe also one of the reasons they invited you as an Israeli and me as the ambassador of Israel.

— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) November 29, 2022

In another tweet, Gilon continued, “I understand your need in retrospect to “justify” your behavior but I can’t understand why you told @ynetnews afterwards that the minister and I said on stage that there is similarity between our countries because “we fight a similar enemy and reside in a bad neighborhood.”

“We did speak about the similarities and closeness between our countries. The minister spoke about his visits to Israel, it being a Hi-Tech nation and the potential of combining this with the film industry. I spoke about the fact that we grew up watching Indian films,” he continued.

Written and Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, ‘The Kashmir Files’ is based on the mass exodus and killings of Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir in the 1990s.

We did speak about the similarities and closeness between our countries. The minister spoke about his visits to Israel, it being a Hi-Tech nation and the potential of combining this with the film industry. I spoke about the fact that we grew up watching Indian films.

— Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) November 29, 2022

Quote tweeting the envoy’s tweet, BJP leader Khushbu Sundar thanked Gilon stating that “The pain & trauma depicted in the film is not a display of distorted history but what Kasmiri pundits actually went through.”

Israel’s Consul General to Midwest India Kobbi Shoshan also denounced the Israeli filmmaker’s remarks.

Sharing the dais with Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who was in ‘The Kashmir Files’, on Tuesday Shoshan asserted that the film was not propaganda but a “strong movie.”

“When somebody opposes certain things, you discover how together the two countries are. The brilliant gesture by the consul general to come here proves that this is a relationship. And it is a relationship of pain because both the countries have suffered exodus and Holocaust, which is the truth,” asserted Shoshan, stating that the debate over the film will strengthen India-Israel ties.