Valley of Tears
Last Friday I watched the final episode in the present series on More4.
A further series featuring the Egyptian offensive in the southern front in the Yom Kippur is in production.
I have written before that films made by both sides in World War Two were motivated by propaganda and this is the case here.
It serves many factors.
For Israelis we see the bravery of those in the Israeli Defence Force, against seemingly impossible numbers and odds, hold the line in the Golan Heights , repelled the Syrian force and penetrated within 93 miles of Damascus.
For the outside world it shows that Israel did not start this war – nor any of the others – but had to repel an enemy bent upon its destruction.
The final episode revealed that the Israeli tanks – though heavily outnumbered – had the key advantage of sight as the T62 Russian made Syrian tank had a narrow periscope which restricted vision to its flanks where the Israeli counter attacked.
These were the most convincing tank engagements filmed since The Battle of the Bulge.
Yet I found the interrogation scene of the Israeli captured by the Syrians, though searing, the more convincing and memorable.
The chief Syrian interrogator was no sadist but a polite educated man who asserted that the key issue between the countries at war was the appropriation of land.
His family had an orchard on the Golan Heights which was sequestered.
The Israelis were viewed, not as a people of the region, but Europeans and North African immigrants.
Having stated his case – and got nothing out of the captured – we had to witness some unpleasant torture scenes.
One of the captured was the nerdish young intelligence officer Avramoah. He has already been depicted as a hysterical coward so his defiance to reveal key codes was obviously a key element.
The Syrians even dragged in the soldier he saved after he was blown up by a mine who implores him to say nothing. Avramoah follows his advice. We see a series of flashbacks of his life and assume he will now die.
One young tanker does die in his father’s arms.
Yet he resurrects in an odd final scene after the credits and visits a Talmudic study group in the intensely orthodox quarter of Jerusalem Meer Sharim.
They ignore him so I assume the message is that the orthodox community is non-inclusive and unaware of the sacrifices made for Israeli survival.
The cast, though young, was strong and the production values first rate.
My only critiques were that the plot lines linking the main characters were obscure and that the subtitles did not remain on screen long enough.
For some reason the final episode was not broadcast and I had to watch it streamed.
The series did resonate with me, not just as a supporter of Israel, but a visitor to the Afekim kibbutz at the foot of the Govan Heights which was regularly shelled by Syrian gun emplacements.
Unless you have visited Israeli you would not know how tiny a country it is.
The Golan Heights, where there are now sophisticate vineyards producing wine approved by journalist Bruce Anderson, is but 18 miles wide and used before its capture to bomb the Israeli lowlands below.
The Yom Kippur war was the only one which the Israelis looked like losing but – motivated by the need to protect their country – saw off the invasion forces.
Nowadays Israel is viewed as the oppressor and whilst seeing if not agreeing to this view Valley of Tears shows the courage exercised for its survival and may stir some sympathy for Israel.
