Some 120 bereaved families from the Choosing Life forum have sent a letter to HBO to protest its series about the kidnapping and murder of Jewish teenagers Gil-ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach, and Naftali Fraenkel by Palestinian terrorists and the brutal murder of Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir by a Jewish gang.
The bereaved families claim that the series, titled "Our Boys," which premiered on Monday, equates Jewish terrorism with Palestinian terrorism and have demanded HBO make clear that Palestinian terrorism is far more prevalent than Jewish terrorism.
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In their letter, the families write, "The kidnapping and the murder of the three youths is one of the many instances in which Jews have been murdered. The murderers receive … encouragement and are treated like heroes. In contrast, [Muhammad Abu] Khdeir's murder was met with shock and condemnation by the vast majority of the Israeli public. Dozens of Jews are murdered as a result of the ongoing incitement by the Palestinian Authority every year. The Arab street does not condemn the murder of Jews and even supports and encourages it."
Merav Hajaj, whose daughter Shir was murdered in a car-ramming attack in Jerusalem's Armon Hanatziv neighborhood in 2017, said, "After our daughter Shir, along with three other [IDF] officers, was murdered by terrorists, they handed out candied and baklava and celebrated their murder in Palestinian neighborhoods. … These voices of jubilation return in every instance where people are murdered, their only sin being that they are Jews."
"The State of Israel acted with determination to catch and punish Abu Khdeir's murderers. In contrast, the Palestinian Authority rewards and glorifies the murderers of Jews. In camps and in schools, they praise [them] and teach them to follow in their path."
Hajaj told Israel Hayom, "I wrote this letter from the heart. All we ask is for [the series] to be balanced and present the full picture, not a distorted picture. People who watch the series overseas think that Jewish terrorism is equivalent to Palestinian terrorism – we kill them, and they kill us – when the situation is completely the opposite."
Matan Peleg, chairman of right-wing Zionist organization Im Tirzu, which has accompanied the families, blasted HBO's decision to air the "distorted and biased" series "that hurts the feelings of the bereaved families," calling it a "mockery."
"It's not clear when the film producers started to prioritize desire for ratings over … consideration for those who lost that which is most precious to them. At the very least, a balance should be found between the two. Sometimes it seems that the consciousness of the extreme Left has destroyed every good part of the cultural world of the State of Israel."
HBO declined the families' request in a statement saying that it was their policy to broadcast the program exactly as it was prepared by the creative team.
"We suggest you watch the series in its entirety and judge it in its full context. We are confident you will understand our position," the network said.
