What I learned from watching "The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall":Arabs are warm, caring, empathetic, family-loving, rational, freedom-loving people.Jews are cold, hard, ruthless, murderous, smug bastards.The story of this incident deserved a much better script. Since the filmmakers obviously did not know the inside story of the arrest and trial of the sniper, they felt free to just make up scenes to suit their agenda. The gum-chewing Israeli interrogator sneering as his poor Bedouin victim is literally dragged out of the room is a good example.Ah, for the good old days, when Britain ruled the colonies and kept all these fractious little people in line!

This riveting account of a young Englishman who said, I want to see for myself, and did just that. He'd been doing relief work in Jordan when he heard about the double crushing death of Rachel Corrie. He didn't expect, nor look for death, he'd reacted with heroism and when he was rescuing 3 little children he was shot from above and behind. His parents secured the only criminal conviction and sentencing for an IDF execution killing. The IDF had at that time relaxed a rules and said that anything goes. There were no rules of engagement. This case is only killing of an International where Israel was held accountable. The father made his preparation and won. The family received hate phone calls for just questioning the State of Israel. Thomas left us in an act of great compassion and bravery. The condemned shooter was quickly released from prison so he could start his family.

Minor spoiler alert re the sniper. The movie script shows little insight into the lose/lose nature of self perpetuating siege, defence as routine, endless war, life with daily death, shooting, killing, not to mention stoning, beheading, terror, cruelty, & blood libel, plenty to go around regardless of which "side" anyone is on. Historically speaking, ever since Arrafat's uncle, the Grand Mufti, returned from Hitler's Germany to promulgate propaganda about Jews, and once he felt confident bearing Hitler's written promise to eradicate all Jews living in the Middle East just as soon as Germany was victorious in achieving world dominance, life between Palestinians & Jews has become largely irreversibly horrific. None of the world's "democratic" or "enlightened" nations offered refuge to Hitler's Jews. Yes, of course Israel is guilty of acts of war, a daily battle to survive (& Israel remains largely unrecognized for its many daily acts of humanitarian aid to Palestine ). Sooner or later, any nation under siege, as Israel is, ends up faced w/ consideratin of the unthinkable. If the shoe were on all the other feet? How would other democratic nations counter jihad ? Not well at all, so far, in Europe. It's also untenable to live inside a hotbed of millennial hatred while surrounded by publicly declared mortal enemies firing rockets on Israeli civilians. All nations around Israel have long been in mutual tribal conflict, but have as one sworn to eradicate Israel & all Jews. Western civilization itself may be about to become the next "Israel". BTW? No matter whose army that soldier joined who shot Hurndall, the ultimate irony is that the IFD sniper who shot him was, in fact, a Bedouin Arab.

This controversial film tries to show the heavy truth that both sides (Israeli & Palestinian) have to cope with and tries to put a face to it. I enjoyed watching this film as much as anyone could enjoy watching human suffering with a sprinkle of a protagonist trying to defy the poor odds via human will and tenacity.One could interpret this film as using hyperbole in favor of the Palestinian plight and may cause resentment from the viewer. If this is so then I believe they can still enjoy the film as a fictional piece.However one feels on the subject this film aptly underscores the agreeable fact that much change is needed by both sides to end the conflict in Middle East.