Jenin and its aftermath: a soldier's diary

“WE lost. They lost. Everyone lost,” the Israeli soldier concludes from on top of his armoured vehicle, waving vaguely at the smoking remains of Jenin behind him. “It’s one of those really original football matches that both teams lose.”
The scene is from Jenin Diary: The Inside Story — a documentary shot by an Israeli reservist from the company that lost 13 soldiers in a Palestinian ambush in Jenin refugee camp on April 9.

Its maker, Gil Mezuman, 30, shot 40 hours of film on a hand-held camera, cut to 65 minutes for its premiere before a capacity audience at the Jerusalem Film Festival.

One of the final scenes shows his disorientated unit wandering aimlessly around its camp, still traumatised after the deaths a few days earlier.

Some of those filmed openly question the tactics used, and even the Army’s right to be in Jenin. Others can no longer fight a campaign in which they no longer believe.

“Personally, I’m finished with the Army. The next reserve call, I won’t be here,” vows ponytailed Altshuler, unable to forgive himself for not challenging the orders that led his commander and friends to their deaths.