For anyone interested in the politics of the Middle East, there is an interesting new brace of films that can be watched at home in a double bill.
The Human Factor (rentable from the usual sites) is a documentary detailing Bill Clinton’s efforts to negotiate a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine from the early-mid 90s up to a summit in Camp David in 2000.
Whilst the main politicians involved are either no longer with us or not ready to participate, there are extensive interviewers a number of people on the US negotiating team. Figures such as Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk and Robert Malley give candid and fascinating insights into the process. They really help show the human side of the political figures of both sides.
With no sign of a peaceful solution still, it is amazing to think that in 1995 a lasting peace seemed achievable until the assassination of the Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by one of his own countrymen who felt he was a traitor to his people.
Human Factor: 9 out of 10
One of the key moments that enabled the meetings between Rabin and the Palestine Liberation Organisation leader, Yasser Arafat, was the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993. These were the results of the initial negotiations that laid the groundwork for the later more detailed discussions.
The story behind those is depicted in Oslo (on Sky Movies) that looks at the role played by Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen, married Norwegian diplomats who use their connections at the Foreign Ministry and in the Middle East to bring both sides to the negotiating table on neutral ground. Andrew Scott and Ruth Wilson excel in those roles, wisely choosing not to adopt dodgy Norwegian accents. They are able to convey what is at stake, both for the the future of the region as well as for their careers, without writer J.T. Rogers (adapting his own play) having to spell it out.
Liberties are almost certainly taken for dramatic effect and the stage origins are pretty obvious, but this is an impressive
Oslo: 8 out of 10