“Paradise Now” has been nominated for a best foreign language film Oscar, though Jewish groups are upset. They say Palestine does not yet exist, and therefore the Academy should say the film is from the Palestinian Authority. An Israeli diplomat has said:
“Both the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles and several concerned Jewish groups pointed out that no one, not even the Palestinians themselves, have declared the formal creation of ’Palestine’ yet, and thus the label would be inaccurate.”
Palestinian blogger Sabbah reminds the world that the Palestinians formally declared independence in 1988. Perhaps Israel would prefer if the film was from “occupied Palestine.”