Film Screening & Q&A: The Occupation of the American Mind with Alison Weir

The Arab American Cultural Center of Silicon Valley invites you to a thought provoking Film Screening & Q&A event: The Occupation of the American Mind with Alison Weir.

Israel’s ongoing military occupation of Palestinian territory and repeated invasions of the Gaza strip have triggered a fierce backlash against Israeli policies virtually everywhere in the world—except the United States. The Occupation of the American Mind takes an eye-opening look at this critical exception, zeroing in on pro-Israel public relations efforts within the U.S.

Narrated by Roger Waters and featuring leading observers of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict and U.S. media culture, the film explores how the Israeli government, the U.S. government, and the pro-Israel lobby have joined forces, often with very different motives, to shape American media coverage of the conflict in Israel’s favor. From the U.S.-based public relations campaigns that emerged in the 1980s to today, the film provides a sweeping analysis of Israel’s decades-long battle for the hearts, minds, and tax dollars of the American people in the face of widening international condemnation of its increasingly right-wing policies. - Film's Press Kit

The film was initially released in 2016, with a newly edited abridged version that places a special emphasis on propaganda efforts that have helped conceal Israel’s brutal and illegal decades-long occupation of Palestinian land while dehumanizing Palestinians and vilifying those who speak up for Palestinian human rights as either anti-Semitic or terrorist-sympathizers.

“As Israel continues its slaughter of Palestinians with U.S. backing, the new abridged version of this riveting 2016 film meets the current political moment like nothing else. Watch it to understand why so many Jews, like myself, are saying these words proudly right now: Not in our name.” — Dave Zirin, The Nation

• Doors Open: 5:30pm PT
• Film starts: 6:00pm PT
• Q&A with Alison Weir: 7:00pm

Refreshments will be provided.

Event attendance free, $10-20 donation encouraged.

Alison Weir - Bio

Alison Weir is the founder and executive director of If Americans Knew, a nonprofit organization that provides information on Israel, Palestine, and the US connection. Her interest in the issue began in early 2001 when she traveled alone throughout the West Bank and Gaza as a freelance journalist at the height of the Second Intifada. She writes and speaks widely on the issue, including talks at hundreds of US campuses and other venues, as well as lectures in Malaysia, China, Iraq, Iran, England, Wales, Canada, and Malaysia. She is the author of "Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel," an Amazon best-seller that has sold almost 50,000 copies.

Host or Publisher Arab American Cultural Center