Jeremy Hardy v. The Israeli Army

Travelling thousands of miles to face the world's fourth biggest military power may not be most people's idea of a holiday, but then - as Jeremy Hardy sees it - neither is travelling to Florida to spend Easter with your in-laws. Hardy had established himself through his stand-up and broadcast work (including BBC2's 'If I Ruled the World' and 'Loose Talk', and Radio 4's 'News Quiz') as an outspoken and acerbic social and political commentator, and readily agreed to Palestinian producer-director Leila Sansour's proposal that he front a film about the activities of a group of international activists working in the Occupied Territories.

Arriving in Bethlehem in April 2002, just before a major Israeli incursion, Hardy is given a crash-course in the region's chaotic situation. He is shown the devastation inflicted on homes and hospitals by Israeli forces, and witnesses several instances of army heavy-handedness in the face of his group's non-violent resistance. His initial scepticism about the self-serving motives of some of his fellow volunteers is soon replaced by admiration at their bravery, and the film movingly records his own deepening commitment to the cause.