Abogados

In the middle of my career, I decided to write a story, known in the film industry as a movie treatment. This treatment called Tov Meod in Hebrew was about the terrorism that came about in Palestine and Israel and it concluded with an act of terrorism in Washington, D.C. during the Camp David Peace Talks of President Jimmy Carter. When I wrote this treatment back in the middle 1980’s, I wanted to wake up the American public and the world to the eventual spread of terrorism beyond Israel (and of course the other nations that had to put up with terrorism. I later wrote the screenplay and submitted to too to film makers

Among the people I contacted included many famous film makers including some who are no longer with us (Stanley Kramer “Champion,” “High Noon,” “Inherit the Wind,” “It’s a Mad Mad Mad World”, Jose Ferrer, Jack Lemmon, and Mark Warren “Come Back Charleston Blue”). Some of the others included Costa-Gavras “Z,” “The Music Box”, Andrew Victor Mc Laglen “On Wings of Eagles,” “Mc Clintock,” “Sahara,” and Milos Forman “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Amadeus.” Costa-Gavras and Andrew Mc Laglen were my best hopes to realize the production of the script, but I had to abandon my efforts. My late, wonderful friend Mark Warren said it was “required reading for all high school students.”

I have decided to present parts of that screenplay to my readers across the United States. Although the violence described in the Sacred Oath, my screenplay, is mild compared to violent terrorism the world had known, it is still an important work. A sequel is in my head which would shock the world though. I will not abandon my work as “El Quijote” in order to write that sequel. The education of millions of Latinos is that important to me.

THE SACRED OATH

FADE IN

1 EXT. TOWN OF HEBRON - EARLY EVENING

The year is 1929. It is the end of the workday for the residents of Hebron, Palestine. White tents can be seen that are used by the settlers. At this hour, Jewish settlers are returning from the fields. Some are carrying buckets in order to get their ration of water. An infant is wasting water. His father stops to show his son not to waste water. Others can be seen washing themselves, having a drink, and having fun.

2 INT. HOUSE - SAME TIME

The pouring of water can be heard as it splashes into a metal basin. A woman is pouring water to be used for cooking.

3 INT. ANOTHER HOUSE - SAME TIME

Talmudic students are studying and praying.

4 EXT. HILL OVERLOOKING THE VILLAGE - SAME TIME

There is silence for several seconds. Arabs dressed in traditional garments and European clothing are mounted on horses at the top of the hill. Like vultures getting ready to attack their prey, they are holding various weapons. The leader looks over the others and gives a signal. The sound of horses hooves pounding against the hard earth is heard. The Arabs make their way toward the houses of the Jews. The horses are moving faster. The sound gets louder. The Arabs launch their attack on some Jews who are outside.

5 INT. HOUSE - SAME TIME

Arabs enter the house where the Talmudic students are and proceed to slaughter these helpless people. Their cries ring out.

6 INT. ANOTHER HOUSE - SAME TIME

A man and woman frantically try to hide their children. One child is a young girl, about eight years old. The other child is an infant, about six months. The young girl and her brother are being hidden behind a closet. The closet is pushed back toward the wall. The Arabs enter the house and kill the man and woman before the eyes of the young girl.

7 EXT. - SAME TIME

Arab blades slash through the evening air. Arabs chase after other Talmudic students who try to run away. Two more students cry out as they are being killed by Arabs. There are more cries of agony in the air.

EXT. ARAB TOWN - AFTERNOON

It is 1948. Jewish members of the Irgun Zwai Leumi are attacking an Arab village that is being protected by a small group of youths from another town. The sound of a grenade is heard. An Arab lays wounded on the ground, a revolver by his side. Another Arab youth, about eighteen years of age is running up the dusty street in the direction of his wounded friend. Suddenly, the Arab stops as he hears one of the Jews call out.

JEW
Moshe! Look out!

Moshe turns and sees the Arab directly in front of him. The Arab turns his head in the direction of the revolver that is on the ground near the wounded Arab. He fixes his eyes on the revolver on the ground. Moshe is holding a revolver in his hand. The Arab rushes toward the gun, grabs it, turns to shoot, and is shot by Moshe. Moshe keeps the gun aimed at the Arab for a moment. The Arab falls on the ground, face first. He is dead. Moshe is in a temporary daze because he has killed his first Arab. Sweat is on his face.

28 EXT. JERUSALEM – AFTERNOON

Mehdi and Rivka are walking around Jerusalem. She is wearing the peace symbol on her shoulder bag and on the back of her jeans. They stop sometimes, as Rivka explains something special about each place to Mehdi.

RIVKA
Right over there on Marcus and Dubnov Streets, the Iraqi Army was camped in 1948.

Mehdi and Rivka walk some more. Rivka points as she walks.

On Chovevei Zion Street the Arab forces gathered arms in Gross's basement while across the street the Haganah did the same thing.

Rivka and Mehdi walk a little to the northeast.

There's the King David Hotel. Which…

MEHDI
Which was blown up by Jewish terrorists in 1946.

RIVKA
You can call them whatever you like. They were fighting the British who did nothing to protect us. Someday I may have to fight to protect Israel, but I am sure there won’t be any war for many years.

Rivka and Mehdi turn in the direction of Old Jerusalem. They walk inside the walls. Suddenly a stone that has fallen from a roof strikes Mehdi on his shoulder. He discerns voices on the roof. He decides to investigate.

MEHDI
Rivka, please wait here. I'll be right back.

Mehdi walks away, scales a wall, and climbs up to the roof. He spots two children on the roof precisely where the stone had fallen.

29 EXT. ROOF OF BUILDING - SAME TIME
Mehdi approaches the two children on the roof.
MEHDI
What are you doing here?

The children start to run away. Mehdi catches one of them. He notices that it is a girl.

ARAB GIRL
(Shouting)
Let me go! Let me go!

MEHDI
You shouldn't be up here.
Mehdi looks at the other youth.

Come here! I'm not going to hurt you.

ARAB GIRL
You are a Jew, aren't you?

MEHDI
No, I'm not. Why do you think I'm a Jew?

ARAB GIRL
Because you're hurting me. An Arab wouldn't hurt us.

Mehdi loosens his grip and holds the girl by her clothing. The boy now moves closer to Mehdi.

MEHDI
Good! Don't be afraid. I'm an Arab, just like you.

ARAB BOY
Do you support Al Fatah?

MEHDI
No! They are too extreme.

ARAB BOY
Then you're not like us.

MEHDI
What am I doing? Arguing politics with a boy. What are you doing on this roof?

ARAB BOY
(Looking at the girl)
I'll speak.
(Pausing)
We were killing Jews.

MEHDI
What do you mean?

ARAB BOY
We were watching the street. If anyone approaches who looks like a Jew, we kill him.

The boy points to the stick that is laying on the roof.

MEHDI
How many Jews have you killed?

ARAB BOY
I killed two.

ARAB GIRL
I killed one.

ARAB BOY
No she didn't. She thought she killed one. It was a mistake. The one she killed was not a Jew. He was a fair skinned Arab that I know.

MEHDI
Who told you to come up here and kill Jews?

ARAB BOY
No one told us. It's just something we want to do.

MEHDI
I'm an Arab and I never played this game. It's not good. You should be playing peaceful games. You look like two intelligent children. Some day you could grow up to be Prime Minister of Israel.

ARAB BOY
Really!

MEHDI
Yes! Either of you. Now get off this roof. If you play this game again, you're going to get into trouble. Let's go!

Mehdi and the children walk along the roof together. Each child jumps down from the wall. Then Mehdi jumps down. Mehdi watches the children as they walk along together. Then he returns to Rivka.

RIVKA
What happened?

MEHDI
Two children were playing war games. Sometimes I think that things will never change.

RIVKA
Things will change. Give it a chance. We should make love, not war.

Mehdi pulls Rivka close to him as they walk away.

45 EXT. ISOLATED AREA IN JERUSALEM - EARLY EVENING

Ali Lakhdar is walking with his son Mehdi in a deserted field. A puppy follows them as they walk. Finally, Ali stops. He ties the puppy to a wooden stake. He takes a gun from a bag and checks the gun carefully. Satisfied that everything is okay, he moves closer to the stake.

ALI
Mehdi, come closer.

Mehdi walks over to his father. Ali places the gun in his son's small hands.

ALI
Here.. Hold it like this.

Ali sees that Mehdi is following his directions well and he moves Mehdi a little closer. He directs the gun that Mehdi is holding.

Now, squeeze the trigger.

Mehdi pulls the trigger and the gun explodes. Mehdi is forced backward. Regaining his balance, Mehdi sees what has happened. The puppy is lying dead on the ground, bloodied by the bullet. Ali picks Mehdi up and takes him away. Mehdi looks back at the dead puppy as he is carried away.

MARTIN N. DANENBERG
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