‘Bleeding Dirt’: A drama series about the Palestinian resistance

Resistance to Israeli colonialism was the central focus of the Palestinian drama series, “Bleeding Dirt” (“Nazeef Al-Turaab”), set in the post-Oslo Convention era. The series addresses the daily challenges, injustices and human rights violations facing Palestinians under the brutal Zionist occupation. It highlights the resilience, courage and determination of Palestinians in their struggle for freedom and the issues of prisoners in Zionist prisons.

Palestinian TV production is minimal in comparison to other Arab countries, owing to the country’s political affairs, the focus on recreational programmes under the tragedies of the Palestinian people and the pressures of the Israeli occupation on the media sector, which limits the production of television dramas that raise awareness of the reality of colonialism and its atrocities. The series aims to convey several key messages through dramatic scenes that mimic the reality of the Palestinian people.

“Bleeding Dirt” addresses various aspects of Palestinian life, such as the hope for West Bank and Jerusalem territories, including such issues as daily incursions into the town by the occupation army, prisoners in occupation prisons, the Palestinian resistance, the Jerusalem uprising, settlements, Judaism and other topics that the Working Group seeks to highlight.

The series is partially set in Tal Al-Sabr, near the Nablus governorate, where Palestinian prisoner Bilal escapes from the occupier, where his aunt Umm Askar rescues him from a certain death. Bilal then changes his name to Assif.

While it is true that events and representational scenes in the West Bank and Jerusalem are more prominent in the series than in other areas, the focus is on the town of Tal Al-Sabr and the resistance movement there, emphasising its impact and role, especially given the security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the Zionist occupation.

The issue of prisoners in Israeli prisons received considerable attention during the events of the series, including the violations and brutal torture to which they were subjected during the interrogation period, revealing the reality of prisoners through dramatic scenes. Likewise, scenes of solitary confinement provided an accurate description of the difficult life of isolated prisoners and their treatment by Zionist prisoners.

It spotlights how psychological torture has resulted in many prisoners being tortured, reflected in the character of the dean of the Palestinian Resistance, who has been subjected to psychological torture and how he is compassionate about his brother Bilal’s fierce resistance to the Zionist occupation.

The series discusses the issue of settlement and aggression in Nablus and Tal Al-Sabr, showcasing the reality of settlers’ actions without exaggeration, illustrating this through realistic stories of the people’s daily lives, where the series depicts the resistance and expulsion of settlers and the reclamation of land.

The series also reviews Israeli attempts to regain control through daily settler crimes, including violence and humiliation against Palestinians and depicts Palestinians’ determination to protect their land from settler aggression, exposing the diverse interests of Zionists, contrary to the narrative given by Israelis.

Director Bashar Al-Najjar and writers Osama Malhas and Saeid Saada have successfully created a Palestinian drama that mimics the reality of the occupied Palestinian Territories.

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