Steve Witkoff + The Voice of Hind Rajab?

 

Steve Witkoff + The Voice of Hind Rajab?

Hind Rajab:

The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on 3 September 2025, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and six other parallel prizes. It was theatrically released in Tunisia on 10 September, and was released in France on 26 November by The Party Film Sales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Hind_Rajab#Production

Steven Charles Witkoff (born March 15, 1957) is an American real estate developer, investor, and founder of the Witkoff Group. Since 2025, Witkoff has served as the United States special envoy to the Middle East^[1] and special envoy for peace missions.^[2] He has also acted as a de facto envoy to Russian president Vladimir Putin.^[3]    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Witkoff#

Last evening I was greatly moved watching The Voice of Hind Rajab at The Roxie Theater in San Francisco!   Outside the theater, after the showing, I asked a woman who was involved in the support of the Film about who the intended audience was in the U.S.   She mentioned Steve Witkoff.

Steve Witkoff is a white, wealthy, Jewish man, who is a part of the Administration of Donald Trump.   After my initial astonishment/negative reaction, I thought and am still thinking about the importance of what this person said to me.

In 2011, their 22-year-old son Andrew died of an OxyContin overdose at the now-closed Sunset Plaza Drive sober living facility in California.^[97]  …

After the death of his son, Andrew, from an opioid overdose in 2011, Witkoff has become an advocate for addiction awareness and recovery efforts, addressing the issue in his speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.^[106] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Witkoff

Steve Witkoff has worked extensively with Jared Kushner in pushing the agenda of Donald Trump in The Middle East.   He, unlike most others in The U.S. Government, talked with at least one Hamas negotiator, related to the relatively recent 2025 Agreement.   This has been at best a “mixed blessing” as the killing and disagreements continue, deeply dividing things, and resulting in continuing deaths.   The hostages are now released, but immediate peace, as well as a lasting peace, remains elusive

The core plans such as were outlined in a CBS-60 Minutes Interview of Leslie Stahl with Kushner and Witkoff ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNa6PcU1Ke0 - This video is an extended version of the interview that was broadcast on 60 Minutes on Sunday, October 19, 2025. ) describe a reality that is far different than that portrayed in The Voice of Hind Rajab .

George Marx and Kaouther Ben Hania – February 26, 2026

January 29, 2024. Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year-old girl is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her. Her name was Hind Rajab.

Directed by

Kaouther Ben Hania

https://www.thevoiceofhindrajabfilm.com/synopsis/

Ms. Ben Hania spoke passionately of this film’s creation and her intentions in creating the film.   First, she took the time to meet the mother of Hind Rajab, and get her approval.   Then she found Palestinian actors to portray the Palestinian workers for the Red Crescent in Ramallah.  They desperately tried to rescue the child through a single ambulance they had in Northern Gaza.  Hind Rajab, a young child, spoke on a cell phone from the car with them.  The film includes both the audience hearing the desperate (actual) words/voice (with translation shown) of Hind Rajab, and the actors portraying the communication from Ramallah.  

Few, if any, audience members, were not deeply shook, feeling death in such a most vivid way.  Ben Hania, in response to an audience member question, spoke of how they consciously avoided showing the Israeli’s who were by the car, as well as not showing any of the actual violence, as it happened.    The focus was on the child and those who were trying to save her life.

I found it difficult, near the end of the film, to see a picture of the actual vehicle, which over 300 shots had totally demolished.   In that vehicle Hind Rajab had remained hidden, together with the five members of another family, all “sleeping”, e.g. deceased.    Similarly, it was sobering, seeing the ambulance, totally destroyed, quite close to the vehicle that Rajab was desperately waiting for.   This was after hours and hours of negotiations with the Israelis, who finally granted permission for the rescue (attempt).

Ben Hania spoke of how when Palestinians saw the film, they spoke of how Hind Rajab’s death was similar to many other Gazan children’s experiences.   Viewers of the film at the Venice Film Festival, and at subsequent showings in other countries, similar to our viewing last evening in San Francisco, were deeply, deeply impacted by this film.

Kaouther Ben Hania and those supporting the film are trying to help “change the narrative” related to what to me is clearly genocide, the most obvious/visible/vivid I’ve seen in my 74 ½+ years of life.

Prior to the film's premiere, Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Glazer, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner onboarded as executive producers.^[26][2]   …

Director Kaouther Ben Hania holding the Grand Jury Prize awarded to The Voice of Hind Rajab at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival. …

Critical response: The film received a 23-minute, 50-second standing ovation at its Venice premiere, beating the previous record for longest recorded applause at a film festival…

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 121 critics' reviews are positive.  

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voice_of_Hind_Rajab#Synopsis

Reaching out to Steve Witkoff makes sense!   In his 60 Minutes interview he spoke of how he relates the tragic story of his son’s death at the age of 22, to help build rapport with others, whose world views differ from his.

Now he speaks of clear binaries.   Hamas is evil.  “Bibi” is obviously one he sees as a “friend” or “close ally”.    “Terrorism” is something the Palestinians are hurt by due to Hamas.   He’s both had some “difficult conversations”, and really not put himself in what I would call “any danger”. 

The world of Kaouther Ben Hania sees things and lives very, very differently.   Her film is a joint Tunisian-French effort in Arabic, with English subtitles.   English is far from her first language.   Distribution of the film in the U.S. is challenging.   The website of the movie is very basic.

The world of most of the others I talked with at the film are also different from both Witkoff and my world.   Two seats away from me the young woman’s father was from Jerusalem (he’s Palestinian).   Those in line behind me by one of the restrooms were Palestinian (American) women.   They spoke positively to me, which I appreciated.  I also noted and note that their world is one of knowing people who are much, much, much, much more likely to be killed than my Israeli, Jewish relatives.

They have shown the film to some U.S. Congressional Representatives.   Witkoff – we’ll see.

I am reaching out a little more to a cousin shortly.     I will give him a copy of the 2025 English translation by Fida Jiryis of Sabri Jiryis’s excellent (1977) book: The Foundations of Zionism.   Fida Jiryis ( see: https://www.georgemarx.org/2023/03/stranger-in-my-own-land-fida-jiryis.html ) I learned of when Peter Beinart ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Beinart ) interviewed her approximately three years ago.  

Her father’s book is teaching me a lot about Judaism and Zionism!   I was very touched, a week ago today, to “meet” her for the first time on Zoom, just prior to her father being interviewed by Beinart (a devout Jew who lives in NYC).

I don’t know how to reach out to a relatively new friend, who recently returned from a trip to Israel, still with Zero empathy or concern shown for the Palestinian People.

It is nearly impossible to be deeply reached to the point that we seriously question our perspective(s), absent a personal connection with another who views things differently.  It is much easier to see them as “the exception” relating to our deep fears.    It took years for my views to change substantially.

We who are Jewish have had and some continue to have deep trauma.    Where our trauma is directed (for example) at The Palestinian People, rather than at those who murdered our relatives in the 1940’s, I believe it is misguided.

“Anti-Semitism” – is both being weaponized and stretched by both “the right” and by mainstream Jewish organizations.   “From The River to the Sea” – may trigger you!   I’m triggered a lot, and it’s mostly not related to such things.  

Anti-Semitism is not the same as strong disagreement with both current Israeli Governmental policies, as well as recognizing a history that pre-dates Netanyahu by decades, if not longer.  Fear and hatred of the Palestinian People, Arabs, Muslims, the Iranian government and similar is most commonly both real, and in my view not justified.

My shirts saying things like: “Free Palestine” alone clearly trigger others (nearly always white, Jewish, upper-middle class males) who respond calling me: “Anti-Semitic”, and get angrier, when I tell them that I’m Jewish.   I NEVER initiate the dialogue- it always starts with them.

Many who are not Jewish support Israel awaiting the return of Jesus.   Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel is noted below:

In an interview with Tucker Carlson that was conducted on Wednesday in Israel and aired on Friday, the conservative U.S. talk show host asked Huckabee about Israel’s right to exist and about Jewish roots in the ancient land.

Citing the book of Genesis, Carlson asked whether the modern state of Israel had a right to the lands promised in the Bible by God to Abraham, stretching from the Euphrates River to the Nile, covering much of the Middle East. In response, Huckabee said:

“It would be fine if they took it all. But I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here today.”

Huckabee added: “We’re talking about this land that the state of Israel now lives in and wants to have peace in, they’re not trying to take over Jordan, they’re not trying to take over Syria, they’re not trying to take over Iraq or anywhere else. They want to protect their people.”

In response, a joint statement condemning Huckabee’s comments was issued by the Palestinians and countries in the Middle East and beyond, including Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan.

They said his comments were: “Dangerous and inflammatory remarks, which constitute a flagrant violation of the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and pose a grave threat to the security and stability of the region.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/21/mike-huckabee-claims-israel-has-a-right-to-much-of-the-middle-east.html  (note:  This quote is from February 22, 2026, five days ago).

The fears that many have are real!

Such fears are frequently manipulated by powerful people/ influential journalist and similar  such as upon such as a potential major attack on Iran, which could result in major negative consequences for the U.S.   Anthony Aguilar – see: https://www.georgemarx.org/2026/02/anthone-aguilar-listen-please-to-his.html - spoke to a number of us (I first heard him in a church in Berkeley 10 days ago) of how the apathy of many of us in The U.S. related to the Middle East could and likely will lead to us being victimized, as has happened recently in Minneapolis, for example.

We have ethical and practical reasons to be deeply concerned!   I hope that many who are doubting will see this incredible movie, and through really deeply listening, will move further forward.   Through our and your efforts we may and can develop lasting justice in our country and throughout most of the world.

February 26, 2026 – Roxie Theater San Francisco