Oscars body gives Palestine recognition of a nation

Omar, a drama set amid the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was directed by Hany Abu-Assad, whose 2005 thriller Paradise Now was also nominated in the foreign language category. But after a tussle with the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, the academy chose to refer to the film as a product of the ‘Palestinian Territories’ or ‘Palestinian Authority,’ rather than simply ‘Palestine’. After hearing the news of his latest nomination and how it was identified, Abu-Assad said on Thursday that having the academy refer to his entry as being from Palestine was a step in the right direction. ‘The world starts to recognize that without giving the Palestinians a just solution, there will always be problems, there will always be something wrong,’ he said in a phone interview.

‘I’m happy to get recognition from people in this business and to represent Palestine,’ he added. ‘It’s not a country yet, it’s not a state, it’s a nation fighting for equality and freedom and justice and to represent that is an honor.’

Assad said he’s also received positive reviews for Omar in Israel, whose own Oscar entry, Bethlehem, focusing on the relationship between an Israeli agent and his Palestinian informant, did not receive a nomination on Thursday. Regarding its apparent change in policy about describing Palestine, academy spokeswoman Teni Melidonian said, ‘We follow United Nations protocol. This is not a political situation at all.’